Moses grew up in Egypt knowing that he was different from the people around him. He was an Israelite who had been brought up as an Egyptian in Pharoah’s courts, and yet seemed to have sense of destiny that outweighed his upbringing. Deep down Moses felt a sense of purpose which grew into a realisation that he was to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

“He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defence and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realise that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.” (Acts 7:24-25)

This led to him fleeing Egypt, and starting a new life as a shepherd with a Midianite family. Another twist, another turn, and 40 years and the vision of his youth dwindled into a pipe-dream.

It was 40 years later that God appeared to Moses at the burning bush. During those 40 years must have thought that he had missed his destiny. He may have given up altogether on the thought that he could make a difference. God’s words to Moses started to awaken the passion of his youth, and it was a painful experience. The disappointments of the past flooded back and he felt a strong sense of inadequacy.

“But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”” (Exodus 3:11)

What Moses had not realised was that those 40 years were a part of his forming process, and also the forming process in the situation in Egypt. Whilst he was stuck in the wilderness looking after sheep, God was preparing him to ‘shepherd’ 2-3 million Israelites in the wilderness! The deliverance part of his ministry was a relatively short period of his life (10 signs and wonders, with a big splash at the Red Sea), compared to his 40 years looking after the Israelites in the wilderness. There is no wasted time with God.

Sometimes we can become so goal-oriented that we lose sight of the journey that we are on. God has given us a vision, so let’s accomplish it as quickly as possible. However, God’s idea of destiny is not just focused on what we do, but also who we are. God is interested in the process of our development as well as the end product. The journey is as important as the destination. God allows various challenges and people to come into our lives in order to form us, shape us, and help us to become more like him. We can either see these people and problems as a hindrance (something that slows us down), or as a help (to form, shape, and sharpen us).

Wherever we are on our journey, now is a good time to rediscover our vision.