The Art of Truly Being Somebody

There seems to be a pattern in the Bible concerning how God works in the lives of believers. We know that God is constantly at work in the life of the child of God, drawing him more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. I believe that Moses is a good example of this pattern of growing into Christ-likeness. Moses lived to be 120 years of age. His life can be divided into three segments of 40 years each. 1. The first 40: Moses became SOMEBODY having grown up in Pharaoh's court in Egypt.
2. The second 40: Moses became a NOBODY on the backside of the desert.
3. The last 40: God showed what He can do with a NOBODY completely surrendered to Him!
It was the last 40 years in which God used Moses to set the people free and bring them to the edge of the Promised Land. Obviously, this was not the hand of Moses, but of God, and He gets all the glory.
I have observed the same pattern in my own life and journey. You may remember winning victory after victory in your early Christian life. It seemed like life was one mountaintop experience after another. You truly were SOMEBODY! But, you may also remember a time when it seemed, like Moses, that you were wandering aimlessly on the backside of the desert. It is a time of tests. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. You may be wandering in the wilderness right now. The desert experience is meant to help us die to ourselves. To become a NOBODY. It is only after we die to self that God can use us to glorify Himself. Don't you long for God to work in such a way that it is obvious that we had no part in it-that God's hand was at work mightily, and only He can get the glory. That is the art of truly being SOMEBODY. At the end of the day, I am just a nobody. But what a joy to see God use a nobody to bring glory and honor to Himself.