"And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, why hast Thou dealt so harshly with this people? Why hast Thou sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil unto this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all."—Exodus 5:22-23.

My soul, consider deeply this scripture and the events surrounding it, and see what rich instruction it provides. The Lord commissioned Moses to deliver His people from the bondage of Egypt. He had heard their groanings and graciously promised their deliverance. The people believed the Lord and bowed in humble acknowledgment of His love, anticipating the blessings to follow. But observe, the oppression under which they groaned did not diminish but increased. In their despair, they charged God with folly. Even Moses, who had conversed with God at the burning bush and witnessed the miracles confirming his divine mission, became infected with the same spirit of unbelief and returned to remonstrate with the Lord.

Pause and reflect upon this manifestation of the human heart, even in God's chosen people. The subsequent history of Israel reveals that the Lord was steadily pursuing His unchanging purpose to deliver His people, as He had promised. There was no deviation in His plan. He was merely deepening His glorious design through apparent adversity, that His people's deliverance might be more blessed, and His love for them more evident. Yet, during those dark and uncertain times, Israel forgot all that the Lord had promised.

And how is it, my soul, with thee? When the promises of God seem at odds with His providences, and in thy limited understanding, appear irreconcilable, how dost thou respond? Art thou not inclined, like Israel, to rely on fleshly reasoning? When the enemies of thy peace seem to prevail, as Pharaoh did over Israel, and declare in triumph, "Aha! This is what we desired;" when unbelief creeps in, or a sin thou hadst thought subdued rears its head again, like a recurring ailment; when no answers to prayer are forthcoming, and thou art falling prey to renewed temptation, yet no deliverance appears—tell me, my soul, how dost thou then behave toward the Lord?

Oh, for grace to seek Jesus more earnestly in seasons of trial than in times of prosperity, and to discern His voice in the tempest and the storm! Blessed is it to wait, blessed to depend on Jesus, blessed to trust in His promises, even when every path to their fulfillment seems entirely closed. This is the pinnacle of faith, "against hope to believe in hope;" and in the most desperate circumstances, to cling to Jesus as a faithful friend, even when His providences seem to present Him as an adversary, and to say with the steadfast confidence of Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."

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Source: The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portion, August 19th, Evening, by Robert Hawker