What happens when things get Worse?

Read Exodus 6.

"But the LORD..."  To God, it does not matter what the circumstances seem to be.  Life is all about fulfilling God's plan and purpose for our lives.  It is truly is all about Him.  Our trust is in the One who controls the circumstances.

"Now," He said.  This is God's timing.  It is His plan.  These are His people.  It is His name and authority that have been challenged by Pharaoh.  In the first eight verses, notice how many personal references the LORD makes.  The word "I" appears 18 times in the ESV; that does not include the words "my" and "myself".

Armed with this powerful reassurance, Moses obeyed God and spoke to the people.  But the people did not listen.  They could not hear it, or process it in faith, due to "their broken spirit (internal pain) and harsh slavery (external pain)." (v.9)

The test of their faith was great and in their discouragement they were not seeing their prayers being answered.  After crying out to God for help, their circumstances had grown worse.  They were losing hope.  God had not changed.  His promises had not diminished.  His deliverance was at work.  Hope was right in front of them.

When the people did not listen, the leader became disheartened.  Moses blamed himself for not being able to communicate in an effective manner.  This resulted in his reluctance to obey God's directive.  The LORD foretold Moses of this adversity with Pharaoh at the burning bush.  And, God also foretold of the demonstration of His "wonders" in order to facilitate Israel's exodus from Egypt (3:19-22).  But in the pressure of the moment, God's promises lost their impact.

We must be on our guard not to interpret our circumstances by our feelings.  Our feelings are fickle.  When there is a delay in answers to our prayers, we must recognize it as a test of our faith.  Will stand on the word of God in difficult times, knowing He is in control?