Before God acts

We know the story of how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and displayed his power for all the world to see. He performed signs, miracles, and even parted the sea so that his people could walk through on dry land. Truth be told, we all want God to act like that in our lives—do something big when we’re desperate; when we’ve exhausted every option. So we cry out to him.

This is why “the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out” to God—and he heard them. When he sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt, “they bowed down and worshipped” (4:31) because their 400 years of slavery were about to end. But before they saw the answer to their prayers, some unexpected things happened:

· Their situation got worse. When Moses gave Pharaoh the message from God to let his people go, the king of Egypt didn’t comply. “That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota” (Ex. 5:6-17).

· They turned on each other when things started going wrong. “They found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, ‘May the LORD look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials…” (Ex.5:19-21).

· They grew discouraged because they couldn’t see a way out. “Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Why, Lord?...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” (Ex.5:20-23).

The Israelites were on an emotional rollercoaster—one day was up and another was down. Just when it seemed like God did something good, it was taken away from them.

Can you identify?

Maybe you’re crying out to God, but instead of getting better the situation gets worse. You look for someone to blame and become discouraged and depressed. You think, “God didn’t hear” or “God isn’t going to help.” But here’s the truth, God has heard you—just like he heard Israel.

After all the discouraging events of chapter five, the next verse reads, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” God doesn’t act on our timetable, but take heart—he does hear and respond. God was waiting for things to unfold that Israel couldn’t understand. He is always good and compassionate, so we can trust he knows the right time to act. Don’t give up. When things seem darkest, God hasn’t forgotten you. Even though things might get worse, trust him and hold on until you hear him say, “Now you will see what I will do.”