What can we learn about God's timing from Exodus 2:20? Setting the scene Moses has just escaped Egypt, sat down by a well in Midian, and instinctively defended seven shepherd-harassed sisters. They race home earlier than usual, stunned and grateful. Their father, Reuel, hears the news and blurts out the words we find in Exodus 2:20. A snapshot of timing in Exodus 2:20 “ ‘So where is he?’ their father asked. ‘Why have you left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.’ ” In one verse we see God’s unseen clock moving the pieces: an exile, seven daughters, and a hospitable father converge at exactly the right moment. What God’s timing looks like • Strategic placement: Moses arrives at the well just as the daughters are driven off. • Swift recognition: Reuel senses an urgent opportunity—“Invite him!” God often nudges people to act quickly when His plan hinges on a meeting (cf. Acts 8:29-31). • A doorway to decades: That meal becomes the bridge to Moses’ marriage, wilderness training, and a future encounter with the burning bush (Exodus 3:1). • Human choices, divine orchestration: The daughters’ report, Reuel’s hospitality, and Moses’ acceptance all flow freely—yet each step fits God’s larger schedule (Psalm 37:23). Remembering other biblical examples • Joseph’s prison appointment led to Pharaoh’s throne “at the right time” (Genesis 41:14-16). • David arrived with bread and cheese precisely when Goliath taunted Israel (1 Samuel 17:20-23). • Esther reached the palace “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). • Jesus was born “when the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4). Living in step with His timing today • Stay attentive to interruptions; they may be divine intersections. • Offer prompt hospitality and help—simple kindness can advance God’s plan. • Trust unseen preparation seasons; Moses spent forty hidden Midian years before Exodus 3. • Rest in Romans 8:28: the God who aligned a well, a defender, and a dinner invitation still “works all things together for good.” • Submit expectations to His schedule—“There is an appointed time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), even when it feels delayed. God’s timing in Exodus 2:20 reminds us: nothing is random, no meeting is accidental, and every obedient step can open a future we cannot yet see. |
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