Long ago, where the emerald jungle meets the rushing turquoise sea, Prophet Moses set out on a journey. He sought a man to whom God had given a special kind of knowledge—a wisdom not found in books. Moses found him sitting quietly at the edge of a great river, where two currents swirled together. Moses asked if he could follow him to learn this wisdom. The man looked at the horizon and said, "You may come, but you must be patient. You must not ask me why I do what I do until I choose to tell you."
Moses agreed, and they began their walk along the muddy banks. They reached a small village where houses stood tall on wooden stilts above the water. A group of kind fishermen offered to take them across the river in their humble wooden sampan. The boat was old but well-loved, carved from dark teak wood. As they sailed through the quiet mangroves, the Wise Companion suddenly knelt down. He took a small tool and began to pry a plank from the bottom of the boat, causing water to seep in.
Moses could not keep silent. "These poor men were kind enough to give us a ride!" he exclaimed. "Why would you damage their boat and put them in danger?" The Wise Companion looked up, his face hidden by the shadow of his hood. He calmly reminded Moses of their agreement. "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?" Moses looked down, realizing he had broken his promise. "Please forgive my forgetfulness," he whispered.
They continued their journey on foot, passing through a vibrant village where children played among the palm trees. They encountered a young man who was known for his strength but had a heart filled with future shadows. The Wise Companion approached him and performed an act that seemed deeply troubling to Moses. To Moses, it looked like a great injustice against a young life, and he cried out in protest, unable to understand how such a thing could be part of a righteous path.
The Wise Companion turned to Moses once more. His voice was as steady as the deep forest. "Did I not tell you that you could not have patience with me?" Moses felt the weight of his own lack of understanding. He realized that what he saw with his eyes was not the whole truth. "If I ask you about anything after this," Moses said, "then do not let me accompany you anymore. You have been very patient with me."
They walked until they reached a village where the people were cold and unkind. Though Moses and his companion were tired and hungry, no one would offer them a cup of water or a place to rest. As they were leaving, they passed a crumbling wall made of bamboo and wood that belonged to a tilted stilt house. The wall was leaning so far it looked like it would fall at any moment. Without a word, the Wise Companion rolled up his sleeves and began to fix it.
Moses watched as the man worked through the heat of the day, sweating under the tropical sun. He used vines to lash the poles together and packed the base with fresh clay. Moses was puzzled. "These people were mean to us," Moses said. "If you wanted, you could have asked them for a wage to pay for our food in exchange for fixing this wall." The Wise Companion finished his work and wiped his hands.
The Wise Companion stood tall and looked at the repaired wall. "This is the parting between me and you," he said softly. "But before we go our separate ways, I will explain the wisdom behind the things you could not bear with patience. Everything I did was by the mercy of God, for reasons your eyes could not see." Moses listened intently, the sounds of the jungle birds echoing around them.
"The boat belonged to poor fishermen," the man explained. "Ahead of them was a greedy king who was seizing every perfect boat by force. By damaging it, I made it look worthless to the king's soldiers so the fishermen could keep their only way of making a living. As for the young man, his parents are pious believers. God knew he would grow up to bring them great sorrow, so God chose to replace him with a child who would be pure and kind to them."
Finally, he spoke of the wall. "Beneath this wall lies a treasure belonging to two orphan boys in this village. Their father was a righteous man. If the wall had fallen, the treasure would have been found by the unkind villagers. God wanted the boys to grow up and find their inheritance themselves. I did nothing of my own accord, Moses." With a final nod, the man walked into the mist of the river. Moses stood in silence, grateful for the lesson that God’s plan is always full of a hidden, beautiful mercy.
Share