Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. Exodus 18:24
Moses was teachable. In the Egyptian palace, Moses learnt how to read and write. Today we have the benefit of reading his record of historical events in the first five books of the Bible. He learnt military procedures and how to organize large numbers of people. His time in the desert taught him how to travel in that environment and how to survive the desert heat.
As we consider this we realize God had been preparing Moses his whole life for the task of leadership which didn’t reach its consummation until he was eighty years old (Exodus 7:7). Even then Moses had more to learn and God sent his father-in-law to teach him how to delegate responsibilities.
Sometimes God puts his people through long periods of preparation, while their season of ministry may be short in comparison. For thirty years God prepared Jesus for three years of ministry. Yet it was the most significant three years in human history.
We may already feel like we have messed up so badly that we have missed God’s plan and have to settle for something else. Moses probably felt this way when he killed the Egyptian and fled to the desert. Yet God took even these experiences to further prepare Moses for the task he had for him. Nothing in God is wasted.
God’s preparation requires that we’re patient, teachable and faithful because while we are being trained we rarely see the end result that God has in mind. We can only keep a good attitude if we have committed to learning God’s ways and developed a deep trust in his character. In due course, we will see a harvest of blessings if we accept God’s training paths (Hebrews 12:11).
