When God Brings Surprising (and Unwanted) Twists into Our Lives

Of all the people in the Bible, who do you think experienced the most surprising—and unwanted—twists in their lives? 

I struggle to choose between Moses, Joseph, Daniel, David, and Elijah. As hard as it is to pick, my vote goes to Moses. 

The First of Many Twists

Moses was only a few months old when his life took its first dramatic—and dangerous—twist. His mother, a Hebrew slave in Egypt, tucked him into a basket and set him adrift on the Nile River with prayers for safety.¹

As baby Moses floated among the reeds, the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt—the very king who had ordered the death of every Hebrew baby boy—drew him out of the water and adopted him as her own. Moses had no choice over his new and royal identity. God ordained it according to His good purposes. 

Rather than living in slavery and making bricks, Moses grew up as a prince of Egypt, enjoying a lavish lifestyle and the finest education. Forty years later, his life took another surprising—and violent—turn. 

While visiting his own people, Moses grieved as he watched them labor under Pharaoh’s oppression. When an Egyptian taskmaster beat one of the Hebrew slaves, Moses became enraged. He killed the taskmaster and hid his body in the sand. 

But Moses’ actions did not go unnoticed—he was confronted by one of his fellow Hebrews. Moses assumed God’s plan would be clear, yet as Stephen reminds us in Acts 7:25, the Israelites did not understand God’s timing or purposes. Fearing for his life, Moses fled to the land of Midian where his royal robes were exchanged for a shepherd’s staff. 

Moses chose his sin, but he had not anticipated, nor would he have chosen, this new path. Yet even this detour was not outside the sovereign hand of God. The Lord intended it for good. He was preparing Moses for the next—and greatest—twist in his story.

Called at the Burning Bush

Forty years after Moses began tending sheep in Midian, his ordinary routine was interrupted by an extraordinary sight—a bush engulfed in flames, yet not consumed. From that fire, God spoke to him and instructed him to return to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let His people go. 

At first, Moses tried to refuse this terrifying mission. But God had purposed it for the good of Moses, for the deliverance of Israel, and for the fulfillment of the promise He had made to Abraham generations earlier (Gen. 15:13–16). For eighty years, the Lord had been preparing Moses, His chosen servant.

God used the unexpected twists in Moses’ first forty years to educate him for this historic task. Through his Egyptian training, Moses became “powerful in his speech and actions” (Acts 7:22). God used the events of Moses’ next forty years to teach him how to shepherd His people. 

Through every unexpected and unwanted life change, the Lord had been equipping Moses. He was shaping him to lead the new nation of Israel out of slavery, prepare the world for the coming Messiah, and write the first five books of the Bible. 

Moses had not planned—or pursued—the winding paths God ordained for him. But at the burning bush, he made a decisive choice. He humbled himself. He surrendered. He resolved to obey the voice of his Maker and Master, whatever the cost.

The Servant of the Lord

Even though Moses was God’s chosen representative, he faced a daunting task: persuading Pharaoh (who believed himself to be a god) to release his enslaved workerforce. In time, Moses learned that it was never his responsibility to convince Pharaoh to free God’s people. The Lord, by His mighty hand, would do the convincing. Moses’ responsibility was simply to say and do whatever God commanded. 

As Moses obeyed, the Lord sent ten miraculous plagues upon Egypt. Then He parted the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to safely escape from Pharaoh’s advancing army. Everything happened according to the word of the Lord.

Not even the highest king on earth can overrule God. We are never safer than when we are in the center of God’s will, faithfully serving Him—even if our backs are pressed against the Red Sea and an entire Egyptian army is racing toward us. As His servants, we can proclaim with the psalmist, “The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). 

Consider Jesus’ own words: “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). In Christ, all fear of condemnation is removed. He is with us, and His Spirit dwells within us. What, then, does a servant of the Lord ultimately have to fear? Even when we—or others—are not as faithful as we ought to be, we can rest in the unfailing grace, mercy, and faithfulness of God. Moses’ life bears witness to this comforting truth.

“Stuck” Because of Sin

Later, when Moses led Israel to the edge of the promised land, the people refused to trust God’s promise and take the land. Instead, they quaked and quivered at the report of giants. They lost sight of the size, power, and faithfulness of their God. Their unbelief resulted in forty years of wandering in the wilderness—for them and for Moses. 

Moses had believed God and done what God called him to do. It was the people who had not. Yet he was stuck leading this wayward group for forty years through the wilderness, outside the lush land flowing with milk and honey. 

On that long and arduous road, even Moses had his moments. In an act of sinful pride, he dishonored the Lord’s holiness. As a result of his sin, God forbade Moses from leading Israel into the promised land (Num. 20:1–12). Joshua would lead them instead.

If you find yourself stuck, “wandering in the wilderness” because of the consequences of sin, God will not fail you. He works even the twists of evil—whether ours or another’s—together for our ultimate good (Rom. 8:28). His power, grace, and mercy toward those who trust Him will one day make every sorrow and suffering seem light by comparison with eternal joy.

Take heart. God’s promises never fail. He told us that we would experience surprising—and often unwanted—turns in our lives. Jesus called these tribulations. Yet He is with us, and He is leading us. He is our Defender and our abiding peace: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV).

Serving Where He Leads 

Just before God brought Israel into the promised land, He led Moses to the top of Mount Nebo and showed him the land. Then Moses died. 

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s word. (Deuteronomy 34:5)

Even though God had forbidden Moses from entering the promised land, He didn’t memorialize Moses for his failure. Instead, Moses received one of the most honored titles given in Scripture: the servant of the Lord.

Just as God honored Moses despite the twists and turns of his life, He calls each of us to trust Him and serve Him in our own journeys. If you belong to Christ, you are a servant of the Lord—beloved and chosen by Him. Through every twist and turn, trust Him and follow Him. 

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26)

Are you excited? Nervous? Perhaps a bit of both?

¹ Read Moses’ story in Exodus 1, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Acts 7:20–45.