Exodus Chapter 6

6 Therefore, say to the Israelites: '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.

7 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.

8 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.'

9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

God spells out in no uncertain terms exactly what will happen when the Israelites trust in Him and obey. Yet when Moses reported this to them, they refused to listen, because they were worn down by the Egyptians, they were full of discouragement and could see no end to their slavery.

Isn’t this just as true of each one of us at times? We read the bib le, we hear the word of God and we know the plans He has for us, plans to give us a hope and a future, not to harm us, and yet we have trouble believing. We are weighed down by our circumstances, by our problems, ill health, death in the family, marital problems, financial problems, trouble at school or college, lack of friends and support, problems with the children, problems because we don't have children, and so on. We let the cares and worries of this world blind us to the glory of the next, and we choose to dwell in our misery, to let our burdens overwhelm us rather than trusting in God and turning to Him. Just like the Israelites who let the worry about the brick quota and the harsh treatment from the slave drivers and foreman blind them to God and all that He had promised. They were worn down by their circumstances.

But God's promises are just as true today for each one of believers as they were for the Israelites back then. We may not see our employer troubled by a plague of frogs, the water at work may not turn to blood, and the people who are picking on us may well not suffer from a plague of boils, but we can rest assured that no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, no matter how much or how little we have, God is with us, He has redeemed us by the blood of Jesus with his outstretched arm. He has taken us as his own people, and He is our God.