Acts 7 reminds us that God shows up in the waiting.
In that chapter, Stephen retells the story of Moses and says, “After forty years had passed…” Forty years. That’s not a quick devotional quiet time or a short worship service that gets you out before lunch. That's not a semester, or even a longer-than-you've-ever-had pastoral appointment.
That’s a lifetime of wondering if the promise still meant anything. Then, one day, out of nowhere, a bush starts burning, and everything changes.
This week, our family is celebrating our son’s graduation from Air Force Basic Training. Within the last few days, several people have told my wife, “Wow, the time went by fast!” And for them, maybe it did. But ask his mama. It has been almost two months since she’s talked to her baby boy. Time doesn’t fly when you’re counting the days.
Two months have passed for us. Forty years passed for Moses.
While Moses was tending sheep in that time, doing the very ordinary, mundane work of life, God was not absent. God appears and says, “I have seen the oppression… I have heard their groaning… I have come down to rescue them.”
God saw. God heard. God came down.
Moses may have thought he was forgotten, but the Lord was always paying attention.
You may know what I mean when I say that waiting can feel silent. But the burning bush reminds us that God often "shows up" after long stretches of everyday obedience. In that sense, even the wilderness is not wasted time. It's a training ground.
So, maybe what you see as a delay is actually God's preparation. That the silence that is frustrating you is actually shaping your strength. As you keep waiting, remember that the God who sees and hears is closer than you think, ready to turn ordinary ground into holy ground.
Stay blessed...john | 
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