Exodus 32

Staying faithful in the waiting

_{When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” ~ Exodus 32:1}

 Have you ever felt like God was taking too long to answer your prayer? Maybe you started strong in faith, but as time went on, doubt began to settle in. You prayed, you waited, and still nothing seemed to move. In those moments, it can be tempting to take matters into your own hands, just like the Israelites did when they grew impatient waiting for Moses to return from the mountain.

I am actually in a season of waiting right now. I’ve been praying and believing for God to work a miracle in a loved one’s life for almost three years. There have been times when it felt like God went silent. I started out full of faith, but over time, the waiting became hard. I’ve prayed for direction, taken steps of faith, and then found myself waiting again. Weeks turning into months, and months into years without a clear answer. More than once, I’ve wondered if I misunderstood what God asked me to do. I’ve felt the pull to step in and make things happen on my own. But each time I’ve surrendered that urge and chose to trust instead of strive, God has shown up in ways that remind me He has never left. His faithfulness, peace, and grace have carried me through every uncertain step, reminding me that even when I can’t see progress, He is still working.

What has surprised me most is how God has used this waiting season to help others. The very thing that has tested my faith has also allowed me to speak hope into the lives of people who are waiting for their own breakthrough. I’ve been able to share encouragement, pray with others, and remind them that God’s timing is never off. Somehow, the lessons learned in my own waiting have become a source of strength for others who need to know they are not forgotten either.

The Israelites couldn’t see what was happening on the mountain, so they created their own substitute, a golden calf, to satisfy their impatience. In the same way, it’s easy to build “golden calves” today. They may not be made of gold, but they can take the form of control, distraction, or compromise. When impatience leads us to take matters into our own hands, it becomes a subtle form of idolatry because we begin to place our trust in our own ability instead of trusting in God’s timing and faithfulness. Anything that takes God’s place in our hearts or shifts our dependence away from Him can quickly become an idol when we grow tired of waiting.

This passage reminds us that waiting is not wasted time. It’s a sacred opportunity to deepen our dependence on God, to trust His timing, and to stay faithful even when we don’t understand what He’s doing. Waiting refines the heart, builds endurance, and prepares us for what’s ahead.

Here are some steps to help you get started:

• Ask God to show you if there are any “golden calves” in your life.  These are areas where impatience or control has taken His place.
• When waiting feels hard, spend time worshipping instead of worrying. Worship shifts your focus back to God’s presence and faithfulness.
• Keep a prayer journal and write down what you are believing God for. It helps you see progress and remember His past faithfulness. Write down scripture promise that speak directly to your struggle.
• Talk to someone mature in faith about what you are waiting for. Sometimes encouragement from others helps strengthen your patience.

Today I want to encourage you to stay faithful even when it feels like nothing is happening. God is never absent in your waiting. He is working behind the scenes, shaping your heart and preparing what He has promised. Trust that His timing is perfect and His plan is worth the wait. The very thing that seems delayed may be the place where His glory is about to be revealed in your life.

Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 32

1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 

4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.

7 The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 

8 How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

9 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 

10 Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”

11 But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? 

12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! 

13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’”

14 So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.

15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 

16 These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself.

17 When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!”

18 But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.”

19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. 

20 He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.

21 Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?”

22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. 

23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ 

24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”

25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. 

26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” 

28 The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.

29 Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.”

31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. 

32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!”

33 But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 

34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.”

35 Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.

Journal Prompt:

• What am I waiting for that feels delayed right now?
• Have I tried to take control in an area where God is asking me to wait?
• What helps me stay focused on God’s promises during long seasons of waiting?
• How can I use my waiting season to grow closer to Him?