Exasperation Expressed
| Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 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." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." (Exodus5:22-6:1) |
Not a good way to handle the pressure-cooker of emotions!
Here he handles his frustration a bit better - he takes it to God.
And God reassures him.
There are a couple of lessons:
- When we confront evil, there is often backlash. Sometimes the "darkest hour is just before dawn."
- We can bring our exasperation to God. He understands our heartache and pain. I always think of the hot angry tears Jesus shed at Lazarus' grave, knowing He was about to raise him, but seeing the grip death had on people...
- Sometimes liberation is not an event, but a process. Sometimes we have to persist and persevere. It would take ten plagues before God's promise of liberation took place.
- God doesn't always answer our "why?" questions. Why questions take us back. Here God answers Moses' "Why?" questions with a "What" answer. This is what I'm going to do... God moves us forward - not backward.
- It's not about us. Moses starts with "Why have you brought trouble on this people..." (note he doesn't say "on us" - he's still connecting to his people). But having started with "this people" Moses makes it about himself: "Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went..." And then he ends with "this" and "your" people. Moses makes this about himself and he stands alone. But it's not about us!
Let's go into our struggles knowing that it's not about us, that we shouldn't be looking back, that liberation is a process, that we can bring our exasperation to God and that the darkest hour is often just before dawn!
