Nowhere Man

A Series on Living in the Wilderness
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Acts 7:17-34

[In this series we will be looking at people in the Bible who lived in the wilderness. Not necessarily a wilderness of natural creation, but a metaphorical wilderness of their life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is still with us.]

 

In 1965, The Beatles released a song by the title of “Nowhere Man”. Here is the opening verse.

He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

 Indeed, we’ve all gone through times like this. Times when we feel like we’re just going through the motions without any real direction; when we feel like life is going nowhere; when we feel like a nowhere man. Moses experienced those same feelings.

 

He was born during a period of history in Egypt when every Jewish male baby was to be killed. Yet he survived by being placed in a basket in the Nile River only to be rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh.

 

Because of this, Moses was raised in the house of Pharaoh as a prince of Egypt with all the benefits and opportunities that it provided for him. He was a member of the ruling class who lacked for nothing. You could easily speculate that as a result of this, he felt entitled; that he felt empowered.

 

But then there was the little thing about his people being oppressed and abused as slaves of the Egyptians; the same people who had raised him as their own. Imagine how conflicted Moses may have felt about this.

 

One day, maybe out of guilt or anger or a sense of rescuing the Jews, he lashed out at an abusing Egyptian, killing him. Ultimately, this led to Moses fleeing the life he hand known in Egypt into the unknown wilderness of Midian. It was here that he married, started a family and became a shepherd.

 

You could say that for forty years Moses lived in the meaningless wilderness of Pharaoh’s power. Followed by another forty years, where he lived in the wilderness of daily monotonous living. But, unexpectedly, he had a personal encounter with the Living God. Suddenly, he had a new direction; a new purpose; a new mission in life.

 

You and I may not have a “burning bush” experience like Moses. But if we just set aside some time to stop the treadmill of our busy life; to be quiet; to come into His presence; to mediate on His Word; to journal about His work. It would take some discipline, but I believe that the results would get us out of the wilderness.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams