I'm sure at some point in your life you have experienced facing a blank wall—when you don't know what to do anymore. When crisis strikes, you're caught unprepared and confused on what to do in response. When a sudden promotion or blessing comes, you get all excited to do something, but because it arrived unplanned you are unable to do more than you are currently doing. When times like these come, it gets very frustrating, but you should know there's a reason for that.

In the Bible, we find a certain man of God who faced a long waiting period, with no definite direction and timeline. His name is Moses.

Comfortable but purpose-less

In Exodus 2:11-22 we find Moses trying to save a fellow Hebrew from getting beaten by an Egyptian. In his zeal, he killed the Egyptian. After some time he was forced to flee Egypt, the place and nation where he grew up, because the Pharaoh tried to kill him (see verse 15).

After fleeing Egypt, he arrived in Midian. Because he had no other place to go and no other thing to do, Moses decided to stay there. In time he married, had kids, and probably became accustomed to how the people in that place lived, becoming one of them. Comfortable, yes, but nonetheless purpose-less.

God working behind the scenes

Humanly speaking, being forced to run away from where you came from is in no way pleasant. And staying in some place simply because you had no choice isn't a nice thing either. And although Moses had friends, a wife and kids, as well as a brand-new identity as a shepherd (far from being the Pharaoh's daughter's son), having no real purpose or direction is not a good thing at all. Humanly speaking, this is not good at all.

But God was working behind the scenes. In verses 23-25 we read that God was listening to the cries of the people, and when He looked down on them, He "knew it was time to act."

A sudden direction

The next thing that followed was God calling Moses, using a burning-but-not-burned bush in Exodus 3. From here on we know the story, how God used Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt with signs and wonders.

My point is this: Moses was forced to run away and go into a state of life where he had no direction or purpose for many years. But it all changed when God spoke to him.

How about you? When you are in some sort of "dead-end" or a point in your life when you've become stagnant, do you ask God, "what now, Lord?"

Moses probably enjoyed the simple life: a shepherd with a wife and kids, surrounded by some friends and no Egyptian pursuers. But God wasn't done with him yet. In fact, his work hasn't even begun!

If you're in a state of life where you don't know where to go and you don't know what to do, this is probably the best time for you to seek the Lord and ask, "What can I do for You, my Lord?"

If you do, I pray that you would obey what God would tell you to do.