Exodus 6:10 – 13 “So the LORD said to Moses, “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.” But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?” Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.”
At this point, Moses is caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place. The Israelite elders are furious because they feel that if Moses had just not come along and disturbed things, everything would still be fine, thank you. Of course the Israelites would still be slaves suffering under Egyptian oppression, but the elders aren’t thinking clearly. Moses tries the argument about being an unskilled speaker on God once more; however, God ignores his complaints. And at the end, God simply orders Moses and Aaron, charging them to speak to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. The pressure on Moses is enormous!
APPLICATION: Have you ever prayed earnestly about a situation, only for it to get worse? Just when you were looking for some relief, the pressures mounted and you found yourself stuck with only one option, to keep going.
There is a famous painting of General George Washington kneeling in the snow and praying at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This incident really happened. Washington was in a desperate situation with few troops suffering from a bitterly cold winter and with all the forces of the British Army opposing him. Many of those living in the colonies at that point did not support Washington and hoped that if they just could placate the British that all would be forgotten and they would be welcomed back into the British Empire. The situation was desperate, and it was in that hour that General Washington turned to the only One who could help him, the One True Living God.
Washington prayed, and God answered. The success of the American Revolution stemmed partly from that snowy prayer session. In many ways, George Washington faced a number of the same problems that Moses did. Washington had a number of leaders who thought revolution was a great idea until they actually had to suffer. At that point, many leaders changed their minds and became some of Washington’s severest critics. Had Washington not prayed and had he listened to his critics, America might never have been born.
Following God’s will can lead us into all kinds of problems. Family and friends who fail to understand are likely to criticize and raise doubts. The farther along we go, the fewer people will continue to support us. At some points we may feel that we are totally alone.
In the middle 1990’s our small Ghanaian village was caught up in an ethnic conflict. We were the only source of medical care for nearly 100,000 people and my husband and I were the only ones who could safely travel out to buy supplies for the medical center. Communication was difficult if not impossible. There were no cell phones and routine phone calls could stall before they made it out of the country. Mail service was spotty at best and frequently quite slow. It was at this point that one supporting church chose to write to us, indicating that they had decided that we did not fit into their missions program, so they were stopping support. “Lonely” does not begin to describe the way we felt when we received that letter.
I tell this story to illustrate the fact that following God’s will can lead you into very tight places. But remember that if God has led you into a difficult place, He is the One responsible for helping you get out of it. God’s mercy is not limited and God is not Santa Claus. God wants to perfect each of us into His Image, and sometimes that process is painful and difficult. But remember that God cares for you so much that He does not want to leave you wallowing in the mud of your own shortcomings. There’s a country Gospel song that says “I’m just an old lump of coal, but I’m going to be a diamond some day!” Remember that it takes huge amounts of pressure to turn coal into diamonds. Are you under pressure? Hang in there! Some day you will be a diamond fit for a King.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are continuing to help us, to nurture us, to perfect us. Help us to wait patiently and not to give way under your pressure, knowing that you love us too much to leave us as lumps of coal. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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