Moses Learns God's Timing

"Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all." Exodus 5:23

I have been thinking about Exodus and Moses all week! Who knew that reading these passages for our study on Sunday would result in week-long contemplation! And it seems like everywhere I turn right now I am seening references to the exact same thing. Even a television show I watched last night completely talked about Moses and how he learned to listen to God. I read a book yesterday that was fiction, but all about heeding God's voice and waiting on God's timing.

This verse above is the perfect example of Moses waiting on God's timing. Moses had listened to God, and gone to Pharaoh, and instead of letting the Israelites go, Pharaoh brought harsher punishment on the Israelites. Moses was getting frustrated, because God wasn't following through on his promises to Moses. Just imagine how that must have felt at the time. I imagine that Moses felt a bit like a fool- he shared his promises with the people of Israel, and when they weren't released from their slavery, I bet they blamed him. And then things got even worse for them, and they did blame Moses for it. Yet as we read ahead in Exodus, we learn that God did follow through eventually. God's promises were fulfilled when it was best for God's plans. By the time Pharaoh let the Israelites go, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was by God, and God alone that they were released. And not only the Israelited knew it was because of God, but the Egyptians knew it was from God. And the neighboring nations knew that it was from God. Had the Israelites been released right at the beginning, God would not have gotten the glory.

This is such an encouragement to remember in times of distress and trouble. When we are in the worst of circumstances, we can still cry out to God to help us, and he will hear us and answer us. We just need to remember that sometimes, we need to wait on His timing. He knows when it is best to lift us from despair. It is in God and God's timing that we can put our faith and our trust. He will follow through- of that there is no doubt.