“Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23
Have you ever attempted to be obedient to God yet find your circumstances remaining difficult? Maybe to the extent of increased intensity and maybe suffering while being confused behind the circumstances you may be facing? It is interesting to see how people respond to trials we experience in front of us.
As we look at this passage, we see a low point in Moses’ life and in his leadership abilities. He remains obedient to the things that God has called him to, approaching Pharaoh and asking for the people to have an opportunity to worship, and speaks in the name of the Lord, but what takes place? As a result, the circumstances got harder and placed the Israelites in a worse off position than prior.
In these verses, Moses is making a plea to God, questioning all that is going on, expressing the deep concerns he has over all that is taking place, and to the extent of doubting in the same way as he had previously with an expression of “why me”. There is an unbelief and a lack of focus on God who has commissioned Moses to carry out this story, placing Moses in this season of testing.
And as we see the Scriptures in its contexts with the story before and after, we see that God has previously warned Moses of what would take place and after this season we see that God carries out His plan. But how often can we relate to Moses in the present. Where we take steps of faith and in the short-term we face difficulties and challenges in the world.
May this be a reminder that we must take a step back and remember that we must never judge God’s ways in the short-term. As we know the end of this story, that the Israelites are out of slavery, we too may not know what God is carrying out in the short-term, but rather we can place our hope and trust in where He’s going. Understanding that our all-knowing, all wise, all good, all loving, and always faithful God is carrying out a plan through our obedience serves as a fresh perspective. When we wonder about the “why” or “when”, when we feel the need to ask the question “where are You?”, may we see that it’s His faithfulness that comes to fruition. As we seek His strength to endure in the short-term, may we also place our hope in the long-term, for we know that in all questions we may face, He has an answer. And His story will prevail.
Go through this day trusting and obeying the Lord for who He is and not our circumstance.
