Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7

He was the logical choice to lead. Raised in the home of the ruler of the land, educated with the elites, powerful in both speech and action. But God said, “not so fast.”

Moses, of the Bible, is pretty well known for some spectacular things God did through him as he led the people of Israel up from Egypt to the Promised Land. But Moses’s leadership got off to a rough, slow start. Though He was raised by the Pharaoh (see Exodus 2), his people were slaves to the Egyptians. Once, when visiting his Hebrew relatives, he saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. Moses avenged him, killing the Egyptian. Later, he tried to be a peacemaker and settle things between two Israelite men who were fighting. “‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us,’ one man asked. “‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?'” (Acts 7:27).

Scripture says that “Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t” (Acts 7:25). After that, even Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. Moses fled the country to live in total obscurity for 40 years! Little did he know that he was enrolled in God’s no-hurry, leadership training school.

“Be patient,” the Bible book of James instructs, “The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains” (James 5:7). Sometimes, 40 years, or more, pass between the early and late rains in our lives. Hebrews 10:23 encourages us: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Don’t give up hope while you wait!