The Exodus

In Exodus 6 Moses was sent to the Israelites to announce the greatest news they could have ever heard. They had been in slavery to Egypt for around 400 years and they were crying out to God and groaning for relief. The message that Moses had to them was amazing. God said , "I am the LORD and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord." (NIV)

Now, if you had been in slavery for 400 years and someone who had demonstrated some degree of power came and spoke the Word of God to you like Moses did, how would you have reacted? I think I would have been pretty excited. At least a little. Well, not the Hebrews. Look at their reaction in Ex. 6:9. "Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage."

My friends, discouragement is a crippling issue. If you are discouraged it is very difficult to believe the Word of God. The problem is that the very thing that encourages us (the Word of God) is difficult to believe because of our discouragement.

If you are in this state of discouragement, please understand that you are not in an enviable position. And most people have been there in one form or another. And the answer is not simple or easy and maybe not quick. But let me encourage you to not give up. Keep married to the Word of God - even if it's hard to believe. And put yourself around godly people who have an encouraging disposition. And, most of all - never give up. Just as the Hebrew slaves were saved and delivered (even in their unbelief) so will you also see the redemption of the Lord.