You Don't Need the Full Picture

What Moses' Story Teaches Us About Preparation, Trust, and Obedience

One thing I've realized recently is that some of the biggest steps of faith in my life started with an instruction, not a blueprint.

When God called me to leave my job and pursue this business, I wanted certainty.

I wanted to know exactly how everything would work out.

I wanted confirmation that every decision would lead where I hoped it would.

Instead, God gave me the next step.

The same thing happened when He began calling me to create content.

For years, I practiced behind the scenes.

I would record videos.

Write captions.

Brainstorm ideas.

Study communication.

Yet very little of it ever made its way onto the internet.

If I'm honest, I was afraid of being seen.

Afraid of putting myself out there.

Afraid of what people might think.

But there was something interesting about that season.

Even while I was hiding, I would find myself saying things like, "I'm going to have to do this one day."

At the time, I didn't fully understand why I felt so strongly about it.

Looking back, I don't think those desires came from nowhere.

I believe God was planting something long before I was ready to walk it out.

What I couldn't see then was that the years of practicing behind the scenes weren't wasted.

They were preparation.

The preparation didn't remove the fear.

It didn't suddenly make obedience easy.

But it did equip me to take the next step when God asked me to.

As I've reflected on that recently, I've found myself thinking about Moses.

Because when God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He didn't hand him a complete roadmap either.

He gave him an assignment.

Then He asked him to trust.

God Didn't Give Moses the Full Plan

When God appeared to Moses through the burning bush, Moses immediately began raising objections.

Who am I to go to Pharaoh? What if the Israelites don't believe me? What am I supposed to say? What if I fail?

I don't think Moses was simply making excuses. I think he was wrestling with the same thing many of us wrestle with today.

He wanted certainty.

He wanted clarity.

He wanted to know how everything would unfold before he stepped into what God was calling him to do.

Yet God's response is interesting.

He doesn't answer every question.

He doesn't reveal every detail.

Instead, He says, "I will be with you" (Exodus 3:12).

The more I've reflected on that verse, the more I've realized how often I want God to give me explanations when He's offering me His presence.

I want the blueprint.

He offers Himself.

I want the full picture.

He gives me the next step.

Moses wasn't called because he had everything figured out. He was called because God had chosen him, and God promised to be with him.

Looking back on my own journey, I can see how often God has worked this way in my life.

When He called me to leave my job, He didn't show me what this business would become.

When He called me to start creating content, He didn't show me every opportunity, lesson, or challenge that would come with it.

He simply gave me an instruction and invited me to trust Him with the rest.

The Resistance Wasn't a Detour

The part of Moses' story that has challenged me most recently comes after the calling.

Before Moses ever stood before Pharaoh, God told him exactly what would happen.

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you." (Exodus 7:3-4)

I've read that passage before, but recently it struck me differently.

God wasn't surprised by Pharaoh's resistance.

He planned for it.

In fact, He told Moses ahead of time that resistance was coming.

That changes the way I think about difficult seasons.

So often, when we encounter obstacles, we assume something has gone wrong.

We wonder if we misheard God.

We question whether we're on the right path.

But Pharaoh's resistance wasn't evidence that Moses had missed God's will.

It was part of God's plan all along.

God goes on to explain that He would display His power through the signs and wonders that followed so that Egypt and Israel would know that He alone is Lord (Exodus 7:5).

What looked like an obstacle was becoming a testimony.

What looked like a delay was creating an opportunity for God's glory to be revealed.

I wonder how often God is doing something similar in our own lives.

How often do we interpret resistance as rejection when God may be using it for a purpose we cannot yet see?

What If Preparation Is About Who You're Becoming?

One of the things I find most fascinating about Moses' story is what happened before God ever called him at the burning bush.

Before Moses became the man who stood before Pharaoh, he was a man on the run.

After killing an Egyptian who was beating one of his fellow Hebrews, Moses fled Egypt and settled in Midian (Exodus 2:11-15).

For forty years, he lived far from the place where God would eventually send him back.

At first glance, those years can seem insignificant compared to everything that came later. But I don't believe they were wasted.

I believe they were part of God's preparation.

The man who fled Egypt was not the same man who eventually returned to confront Pharaoh.

When God first called Moses, he was hesitant and full of doubt. He questioned his ability to lead. He questioned his ability to speak. He questioned whether people would listen to him at all.

Yet over time, something changed.

As Moses continued to walk in obedience, God continued to develop him.

Each conversation with Pharaoh required faith.

Each act of obedience stretched his trust.

Each miracle reminded him that the outcome was not dependent on his own strength.

Little by little, God was building confidence in Moses, not confidence in himself, but confidence in the God who had called him.

What's interesting is that early in the story, Moses was deeply concerned about his ability to speak. He even asked God to send someone else, and Aaron was appointed to help communicate on his behalf (Exodus 4:10-16).

Yet as the story progresses, we see Moses repeatedly speaking before Pharaoh, leading the Israelites, and communicating God's instructions without the same hesitation that once defined him.

The very thing that once felt like a weakness became an area where God developed him through obedience.

The transformation didn't happen overnight.

It happened one step at a time.

One act of obedience at a time.

One opportunity to trust God at a time.

As I've reflected on this, I've realized God has worked in a similar way in my own life.

When God called me to leave my job and pursue this business, I wanted clarity. I wanted to understand exactly where everything was leading.

But looking back, I can see that if God had revealed everything at once, I wouldn't have been able to fully understand it.

I needed development before I could handle greater responsibility.

I needed experiences that would strengthen my faith.

I needed opportunities to confront fears that had been limiting me for years.

I needed to learn how to be seen.

I needed to learn how to trust God when the outcome wasn't guaranteed.

And as I've continued to walk forward, God has gradually provided more clarity and direction.

Not all at once.

One step at a time.

The more I walk, the more I understand.

The more I obey, the more I see.

The more I trust, the more God reveals.

I've come to realize that preparation is often less about getting somewhere and more about becoming someone.

Because sometimes God isn't just preparing us for the assignment.

He's preparing us to become the person who can faithfully carry it.

You Don't Need the Full Picture

As I reflect on Moses' story, one thing becomes increasingly clear: God never gave Moses the full picture.

He didn't tell Moses every detail at the burning bush.

He didn't explain how Pharaoh would respond after each plague.

He didn't reveal every challenge the Israelite's would face on their journey.

Instead, God consistently provided the next step when it was needed.

One of the clearest examples of this happens in Exodus 14.

After everything Moses had already experienced, he found himself facing what appeared to be an impossible situation. The Israelite's were trapped between Pharaoh's army and the Red Sea. Behind them was the very ruler God had called Moses to confront. In front of them was a body of water that seemed impossible to cross.

Can you imagine what Moses must have been thinking in that moment?

God had called him.

God had delivered the Israelite's from Egypt.

God had demonstrated His power through signs and wonders.

Yet here they were, facing another obstacle with no obvious solution.

What's interesting is that God didn't explain His plan ahead of time.

He didn't tell Moses weeks earlier that He was going to part the Red Sea.

He didn't provide a detailed strategy.

He simply gave Moses the next instruction when it was time.

"Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelite's can go through the sea on dry ground" (Exodus 14:16).

The same pattern appears throughout Moses' story.

God provided the next step.

Then the next step.

Then the next.

And over time, Moses learned that he didn't need complete understanding in order to walk in obedience.

The more I reflect on my own journey, the more I realize God has often worked this way in my life too.

When He called me to leave my job and pursue this business, I wanted clarity. I wanted to know where it would lead. I wanted confirmation that everything would work out exactly as I hoped.

Instead, God gave me a step.

Then another step.

Then another.

The same has been true with creating content, coaching women, building resources, and pursuing opportunities that once felt completely outside of my comfort zone.

For a long time, I thought faith meant having enough certainty to take the next step.

Now I'm learning that faith often looks like taking the next step without certainty because God asked you to.

Moses didn't part the Red Sea because he understood the entire plan.

He parted the Red Sea because he trusted the God who did.

Maybe the breakthrough you're looking for isn't waiting on more information.

Maybe it's waiting on your next act of obedience.

Reflection

As you reflect on Moses' story, consider where God may be asking you to trust Him without having all the answers.

What fears, doubts, or uncertainties have been keeping you from taking your next step of obedience?

Ready to Take Your Next Step?

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Because sometimes the next step isn't having more answers.

It's becoming equipped to move forward with the ones God has already given you.

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