The Backside of the Desert: Finding Purpose in the “Middle” Season

I know what it’s like to live in the “in-between,” caught in the middle of two worlds.

If you looked at my life right now, you’d see a man caught between two worlds. I have a clear vision for the future, a calling to full-time ministry and authorship. Yet, every day, I still wear a badge and serve my community through law enforcement. I see the pulpit, but I’m still walking the patrol.

I’m in the “Middle.” And if you’re honest, you probably are too.

Maybe you’re waiting for a promotion, waiting for a prodigal child to come home, or waiting for a door to open that seems locked shut. We often see these seasons as “wasted time” or a “delay.” But in the Kingdom of God, the middle is never wasted; it is the place of preparation. God never skips the backside of the desert.

The Moses Model: From Prince to Shepherd

In Exodus 3:1, we find a short sentence that carries massive theological weight:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Think about Moses’ background. He was raised in the palace of Pharaoh. He had the best Egyptian education, the finest military training, and carried the status of a prince. He felt the “call” to save his people early on, but he tried to do it on his own, and it ended in chaos.

So, God sent him to Midian. For forty years, the man who was trained to lead armies was now leading sheep. He went from the palace to the pasture. He was in the “Middle.”

The Front-Line Perspective: Training for the Watch

In my 25 years in law enforcement and my time on the flight deck of a Navy aircraft carrier, I’ve seen this principle play out in the natural world. You don’t put a rookie in the lead detective’s seat on day one. You don’t let a sailor launch a jet until they’ve spent months learning the dangerous dance of the flight deck.

Why? Because you can’t lead in a crisis if you haven’t mastered the mundane. You can’t lead people if you haven’t been there yourself.

Moses received a “Prince” education, but he lacked the “Shepherd’s Heart.” God used forty years of quiet, dusty, ordinary work to humble him and teach patience. If Moses hadn’t learned to lead stubborn sheep to water in Midian, he never would have been able to lead stubborn people to the Promised Land.

Look at 1 Peter 5:6: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” The “Mighty Hand” of God often feels like it’s holding us back, but it’s actually holding us steady while He works on our character.

Three Truths for Your “Middle” Season

1. Preparation is Not Procrastination

Just because the door hasn’t opened yet doesn’t mean God has forgotten the key. In Habakkuk 2:3, we are reminded: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time… though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come.” If you are in a season of waiting, God isn’t procrastinating; He is preparing a version of you that can handle the weight of the calling.

2. Your Current Seat is a Mission Field

I’ve learned that the badge I wear today is just as much a pulpit as the one at Training For Life Church. If I can’t be a light for Christ while on patrol, I won’t be a light as a full-time pastor. We often think, “I’ll start serving God when I get the title,” but God says, “Serve me where I’ve planted you today.”

3. The Burning Bush Happens in the Ordinary

Moses wasn’t at a spiritual retreat when he encountered God; he was just doing his job. He was tending sheep. When you stay faithful in the everyday “Middle,” God meets you there. Your “Burning Bush” moment usually happens while you’re simply being obedient in the season you’re in.

Don’t rush the season. If you try to force the door open before the “sanding process” is finished, you’ll walk into your future carrying the character of your past. Wait on the Lord. Trust the process. The “backside of the desert” is exactly where God will reveal His glory.

A Closing Prayer for Your Season

Lord, I thank You for the “Middle.” I thank You that You are working in the waiting and preparing me for the promise. Help me to be faithful in the ordinary, vigilant in my current assignment, and patient for Your perfect timing. I am trusting You in every season.

Amen.