Waiting on God’s Deliverance

Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all” (Exodus 5:22-23 NASB).

God’s operating system with man is through His promises. Over 7,000 promises are recorded in Scripture. My copy of the Bible has 1,000 pages—seven promises per page.Obviously this process is one of God’s primary ways with us. We have a need, God makes a promise, we come to faith ...But then, there is the inevitable gap between faith and fulfillment. It is always here that God does some of His most important and remarkable work.A Godly Man’s QuestionsLest you think you are the only doubter, listen to one of the greatest leaders in God’s hall of faith. “Why have You brought harm to Your people? Why did You ever send me?” Moses questions God’s call on his life, God’s plan for His people, and the validity of God’s promise.Moses knew God had sent him as an agent of deliverance, but the timing was unsettling (and also made Moses look like a fool in the eyes of the people because of his faith).God’s Booster ShotThe Lord didn’t have to answer Moses’ questions, but in this case He knew Moses needed a reminder to come back to full faith and continued obedience (Exodus 6:1-8). The exchange is important for us to understand, because it is recorded to bolster our faith as well.First, God reminded Moses of Who he was dealing with. “I am the LORD,” He proclaimed.“Moses, don’t forget Who you are questioning. I am not like an ordinary man. I am not a politician who makes a promise he cannot keep. What I say, I also do.”This Promise Is Bigger Than YouJust so Moses would remember what this was about, and that he was a small player in a bigger picture, God reminded His servant of the promise He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “to give them the land of Canaan.”God is working out a grand, progressive agenda with His people, and it will not stop until we stand in the ultimate Paradise with people from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). And He is never in a hurry ... but He is always on time.When we are in the silent season between promise and fulfillment, we must remember that we are part of a bigger story that is always about God’s glory. We are one link in the chain that illustrates His absolute faithfulness.I Love People More Than You DoIf that were not enough, He followed with a show of His perfect compassion: “Furthermore I have heard [their] groaning.” God is not some cosmic robot, incapable of feeling. God created compassion and is never oblivious to the hurts and cries of those He loves.Moses’ statements unknowingly questioned the integrity of God’s character. And God quickly and graciously reminded him of the foolishness of these doubts.God loves the prodigal child more than the most loving parent. He loves the nations more than the most ardent missionary. He loves the church more deeply than the greatest pastor. You cannot out-love Him!I Am More Active Than You RealizeGod’s timing is often confusing but always perfect. He was waiting to deliver at the optimum moment, when the greatest glory would be revealed and we would learn a lesson that would be recorded for all of human history.But, lest Moses think He was not going to fulfill His Word, He reminded Moses by a rapid-fire burst of seven “I will” statements, with bookend reminders of His sovereignty:

• I AM the LORD!
• I WILL bring you out from under the Egyptians.
• I WILL deliver you from their bondage.
• I WILL also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
• I WILL take you for my people.
• I WILL be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.
• I WILL bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• I WILL give it to you for a possession.
• I AM the LORD!

God’s Promise to UsRecently I was beginning to fade in faith, in both a personal matter and an issue much broader in scope. God had given me a clear promise regarding something in my family, and also great faith for His coming in nationwide revival.But I had grown weary and doubting. “You have not delivered Your people at all,” was the unspoken rumbling in my soul.Reading this marvelous reminder re-energized my faith. And then, in the way only God can orchestrate, at the exact moment the antidote was being delivered by God’s Word to me, I received a text from my friend and fellow pastor in our church:

“I’m praying this for you today,” it read. “No distrust (disappointment, fear) made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew (over a process of time, waiting) strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21-22).

God was meeting me at the point of my unbelief, and finishing the conversation with a divine exclamation point.Will You Believe and Endure in Faith?Are you growing weary in well doing today? Doubting the promises of God? Questioning His timing? About your life, your family, your work, your church … even about His willingness to send revival and awakening to our nation?Do not give up. Do not doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Do not grow weary in well doing. Listen to His voice right now:

I AM the LORD … I WILL!