Even In Delay’s He Is Working

When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt we don’t know what has happened to him!’” — Exodus 32:1 (CSB)

When my family and I were missionaries overseas, we had to take many flights. We traveled with a lot of luggage and our two small children. Thankfully, on our trip from Los Angeles to Mallorca, Spain, none of our flights were delayed. However, when I later flew by myself from Los Angeles to Mallorca, I had a layover in Madrid. What was supposed to be a one-hour layover turned into a delay of over six hours! I panicked because I had no way of contacting the pastor who was supposed to pick me up in Mallorca. I had told him I would arrive at a specific time, but now it wouldn’t be for several more hours.

I started thinking, What if I can’t wait that long? What if I try to catch a different flight? For one, I likely wouldn’t have made it to my destination, but to some other European country. What if I tried to make my own way there? That would have been even worse! Madrid is in the center of Spain, while Mallorca is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. I had no real choice, I had to wait in order to reach my destination.

Thankfully, I found an internet terminal, logged onto Facebook Messenger, and sent a message to the pastor. He received it, and nearly seven hours later, when I finally landed, he was there to pick me up! Sometimes we encounter delays in life. The Israelites faced one just two months into their journey from Egypt into the wilderness. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet with God, receiving revelation, instruction, and direction. But the people only saw that Moses had not returned when they expected him to, and they took matters into their own hands.

This passage from Exodus reminds us that the majority is not always right. Scripture repeatedly teaches us to wait on the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. What they perceived as abandonment was actually God at work. Moses was with God and would return soon but human nature struggles with delays.The Israelites made a tragic mistake by taking matters into their own hands. The same can be true for us. Many have shipwrecked their lives because they believed God had forgotten or forsaken them and chose to move ahead without Him.

Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us, that He is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). If you find yourself in a season of delay today, keep waiting. Don’t try to force your own way or “board another plane.” You won’t arrive at the destination God has for you apart from His timing. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Agape,
Frank