Ever noticed that at times things get worse before they get better? You pray for something and instead of seeing relief, circumstances get even harder. The children of Israel experienced that prior to their Exodus from Egypt. Moses and Aaron obeyed God’s command and approached Pharaoh about letting God’s people go. Rather than obey God, Pharaoh made the children of Israel work even harder.
Ex 5:6-9: “That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: ‘Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves. But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, “Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.” Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!’” [NLT]
When Moses and Aaron first told the people that God had sent them to obtain their release from slavery, they were excited. After centuries of suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, they were going to be free. That excitement soon disappeared when the declaration of Pharaoh came down and they needed to go out and gather straw for their brickmaking. Moses and Aaron weren’t too popular at that moment.
Then the plagues began. And something began to change. They found themselves exempt from the fourth to the tenth plagues that affected all of Egypt. In a few months, the children of Israel were gathering riches from their captors and setting out for the Promised Land.
Sometimes when we pray for a release, for a promise to be fulfilled, for a bondage to be broken, or for the Lord to move in our lives, things get worse. We end up having to gather straw to make our bricks.
The children of Israel had no other choice but to hang in there and put their trust in the word of the LORD brought by Moses and Aaron. In our life, we too have no other choice but to cling to the promises of God brought to us by Christ Jesus our Lord and wait for our liberation to come.
