Have you ever been discouraged? Like really discouraged? So much that you didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning? Maybe even so much that you weren’t even sure there was any hope? If so, you can probably relate to what the Israelites were going through. They had become so discouraged that they didn’t even want to listen to Moses or what God was trying to speak through him.
Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. – Exodus 6:9 (NIV)
Moses was supposed to lead them out of slavery. When Moses went to ask Pharoah to let the Israelites go, however, Pharoah didn’t listen. Instead of letting them go, he made their work even harder.
I can’t totally even understand how that would have felt. They were slaves. Yet instead of freedom, they had hoped for, they got harder labor and worse treatment. Talk about a lack of hope. And because they felt they were so bad off, they chose to not listen to God or to Moses speaking for God.
It’s hard sometimes to want to hear from God when things seem hopeless. It’s easy to want to ignore what God is saying because you feel like maybe God doesn’t care. Maybe that He doesn’t hear you, or that your situation is just too hopeless. But the truth is, none of those things are true. God does care. He loves you and wants the best for you and your life.
So when you face difficulty, don’t tune God out like the Israelites did. Instead, determine to go to God. Get His help, HIs guidance, His wisdom. Hearing from God is what you need to do when things are tough. So don’t pull away from God in difficulty. Instead lean into Him.
Pray: God, I’m going through a difficult season. Help me to stay encouraged in you. I ask that you help me to hear from you and listen to what you’re trying to speak to me in this season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
