Have you ever felt like God wasn’t holding up his end of the deal?
I have. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’ve almost certainly felt that way, too. And my guess is that’s exactly what Moses felt at the end of Exodus 5.
God had called Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery. God had reassured Moses over and over again that he would equip Moses for the task he had been called to. Moses expressed some doubts, and God responded with some supernatural confirmations. Moses even tried to back out, so God sent in reinforcement in the form of Moses’ brother, Aaron. Clearly, God was determined to deliver the Israelites and was equally determined to employ Moses in that effort. Unable to get away from God’s call on his life, Moses heads back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. But instead of releasing the Israelites, Pharaoh dismisses both Moses and his God and doubles down by heaping even heavier burdens on God’s people.
It seemed like God wasn’t holding up his end of the deal. It seemed like Moses was justified in his frustration toward God: “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all” (Exodus 5:23).
But things are not always as they seem.
A few thousand years later, you and I have the benefit of knowing that God ended up holding up his end of the deal—in pretty miraculous ways, actually. But Moses didn’t have the benefit of knowing that in the moment. All he could see was that his efforts did not result in what God had promised to do.
Maybe that’s how you feel. You’re doing the best you can to walk in obedience to the Lord; you’re striving to remain faithful to what he’s called you to do and who he’s called you to be, but if you’re honest, you feel like you’re the only one holding up your end of the deal. It’s frustrating—Moses would agree.
Just hang tight, because “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s plan of redemption is still patiently unfolding—and while the end result may be unknown to you, it isn’t unknown to God. In time, he’ll hold up his end of the deal. He always has, he always does, and he always will.
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