MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Last week we talked about how much easier it is for us to approach God than it was for Moses. In the Old Testament, God’s presence was overwhelming - the burning bush, the cloud of glory, the fire on the mountain. All were a witness to who He is, but also a barrier that sometimes kept people at a distance. People could not simply walk into God’s presence on their own terms. Approaching His holiness required careful preparation, and even then the distance remained.

Look at Moses in Exodus, chapter 2. He had grown up in Pharaoh’s palace, yet he knew he was a Hebrew. One day he went out and saw an Egyptian beating one of his own people, and the injustice stirred him. He looked around, thought no one was watching, and took matters into his own hands. He killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when he tried to settle a fight between two Hebrews, one of them asked a sharp question. “’Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’” That was a fair question.

Moses accurately saw the problem. His sense of right and wrong was aroused. Yet he made the situation worse by trying to fix it in his own strength and in his own timing. What he thought was righteous action ended up exposing him, creating fear, and driving him into the wilderness for forty years. He went from prince to fugitive, because he ran ahead of God.

God did have a plan to deliver Israel. He would use Moses, but only after Moses learned to rely completely on Him. When God finally called him from the burning bush, Moses no longer said, “I’m the one to do this.” He now said, “’Who am I?’” That shift was essential, and God answered with a promise: “’I will be with you.’” The power for the task would not come from Moses’ ability, status, or passion, but from the presence of the living God.

That’s the difference we still need to learn. We may see a real problem. We may feel a real burden for people who are hurting. We may even be correct about the injustice or the need. But if we get ahead of God, we often create a bigger mess than the one we are trying to solve. The lesson is simple but not easy: wait for the Lord’s plan and the Lord’s timing.

In New Testament times, the great “I AM” revealed Himself perfectly in Jesus Christ. Then, through the Holy Spirit, He came to live within those who trust Him. Human bodies became temples of His presence. He not only changed how we approach Him; He also wants to change how we approach problems in life. God is interested in our worship, and also in the way we handle difficulty, injustice, and burdens.

Jesus shows us the right way. He came to do the Father’s work in the Father’s way. After His baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The enemy offered Him shortcuts - satisfy Your own needs in Your own way - force God’s hand - take the easy road to power and recognition. Jesus answered every temptation with Scripture and with surrender. He would live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. He would not put the Lord to the test. He would worship and serve God only.

Even in Gethsemane, when His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, Jesus stayed submitted to the Father’s plan. He prayed, “’Not My will, but Yours’”. He could have called on legions of angels to deliver Him. Instead, He chose the cross for us. Obedience was not easy, but it was complete. Because He handled the greatest problem - human sin - in God’s way, we can have salvation.

This pattern matters for us. When we face discouragement, injustice, a broken relationship, concerns for someone else, or a situation that is going nowhere, we mustn’t rush in with our own solution. We can bring it to the Lord honestly. Wait on Him. Let Him show our part in His time. Waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing; it means refusing to act out of panic, pride, or self-reliance. It means staying close enough to God to hear His direction, and obeying when He gives it.

The best answers usually take longer than we want. Rather than wasted time, Moses’ forty years in Midian were necessary preparation. In the same way, the seasons when God seems slow are often seasons when He is doing the deepest work in us. He is teaching us to trust Him more than we trust our own instincts. God sees. God cares. When He moves, He does it in a way that brings Him glory. We learn to depend on Him more fully, following Him in the big decisions and in ordinary moments.

We can bring Him the problems that weigh on our heart; resist the urge to fix everything in our strength; wait for His plan. When we depend on His presence, He will see us through. And in the process, He will shape us into someone who handles life in a way that points others to Him.