Life has a way of pushing us to our limits, sometimes beyond what we even realize we can handle. We find ourselves exhausted, overwhelmed, and lost in the moment. In these times, what we often need more than anything else is a brief break – just a little bit of time to catch our breath and ask, “What’s next?”
This sentiment resonates deeply with the story of Moses found in Exodus 2:15b-21. Here, we encounter Moses at a critical juncture in his life. Having fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses finds himself in the land of Midian, sitting by a well. This moment serves as a powerful metaphor for those times in our lives when everything seems to grind to a halt.
The Well: A Place of Transition
Wells in biblical narratives often serve as places of meeting, community formation, and life-sustaining nourishment. For Moses, this well in Midian becomes a pivotal location – a place of transition between who he was and who he would become.
Many of us can relate to being in such “in-between” places. Perhaps you’re between jobs, relationships, or simply caught between clarity and confusion. It’s easy to feel stuck in these moments, worried that this state of limbo will last forever. But Moses’s story reminds us that these in-between seasons need not be wasted time. In fact, they can be sacred times of preparation and growth.
Character Revealed in the Wilderness
As Moses sits by the well, he’s faced with a choice. The priest of Midian’s seven daughters come to draw water, but shepherds drive them away. Moses, a stranger in a foreign land with every reason to keep to himself, instead stands up and comes to their defense.
This moment reveals something crucial about Moses’s character. Even in exile and obscurity, far from the eyes of those who knew him, Moses displays the same instinct for justice that had earlier led him to defend a Hebrew in Egypt. It’s a powerful reminder that true character is revealed not in the spotlight, but in those hidden moments when no one is watching and there are no expectations.
In today’s world, it’s all too easy to look away from injustice, to scroll past suffering and say, “That’s not my problem.” But Moses’s actions at the well challenge us to consider our greater responsibility to society and to those who are vulnerable. When good people turn a blind eye, injustice prevails. But one act of courage can break patterns of oppression that have long gone unchecked.
New Beginnings in Unexpected Places
Moses’s intervention at the well leads to an unexpected turn of events. The priest of Midian, upon hearing what Moses had done, invites him to dinner. This simple act of hospitality opens the door to a new chapter in Moses’s life. He marries one of the priest’s daughters and spends the next 40 years as a shepherd in Midian.
What looked like an ending with no end in sight turned into a new beginning. At a random well in a far-off land, God showed up for Moses and gave him a new life. This serves as a beautiful reminder that God still shows up in some of the most ordinary places and moments to begin something new in our lives. It might be a conversation we almost didn’t have, a phone call we made despite our fatigue, or a desperate prayer whispered in our darkest hour. These seemingly small moments can become sacred spaces where wanderers find a home and community is built where nothing existed before.
The Power of Small Moments
One of the most profound aspects of Moses’s story at the well is how it highlights the importance of what might seem like an insignificant moment. It would be easy to overlook this part of Moses’s journey, seeing it as merely a transition between his life in Egypt and his eventual role as deliverer of the Israelites. But this “pause” by the well in Midian was far from wasted time.
If we were to ask Moses what he was doing during his years in Midian, he might have said, “Oh, nothing much. Just keeping these sheep alive. Raising my family. Making it through the day.” But from God’s perspective, this was a crucial time of preparation. God was shaping Moses, tempering his passion for justice, teaching him patience, and preparing him for the monumental task that lay ahead.
This truth applies to our lives as well. Those daily moments we spend in prayer or Scripture reading might not feel significant, but they’re building a foundation of faith. The ordinary routines of work and family life might seem mundane, but they’re shaping our character and preparing us for future challenges and opportunities.
Finding Purpose in the Pause
Perhaps you find yourself in a season that feels ordinary or frustrating. You might be waiting for something to change, seeking direction, or longing for clarity. It’s tempting to view these times as being “benched” by life or by God. But Moses’s story invites us to see these wilderness seasons differently.
When God finally reveals Himself to Moses at the burning bush, Moses is a changed man. He’s no longer the rash young prince who lashed out in anger. His years in Midian have shaped him, teaching him to channel his passion for justice in ways that help rather than harm. He has learned patience and humility, recognizing that it’s not all about him anymore – it’s about what God can do through him.
In our own wilderness seasons and in-between places, we have a choice. We can complain about being sidelined, or we can allow God to shape us. It’s often in these pauses, away from the noise and distraction of “normal” life, that God does His best work in us.
So if you find yourself sitting by your own metaphorical well, tired and wondering what’s next, remember: God is at work. This pause is not permanent. This wilderness time will not be wasted. Like the well was for Moses, this can be your place of renewal – a brief respite in the midst of a crazy world, preparing you for the journey ahead.
In life’s pauses, may we find the courage to stand for justice, the openness to embrace new beginnings, and the patience to allow God to shape us for His purposes. For it’s often in these seemingly small moments that the groundwork for life’s greatest adventures is laid.
