Hope Deferred

When Moses arrived promising the time of deliverance had come, the elders responded with worship,

Exodus 4:28-31. For the first time many could remember, they believed God saw them and he cared. Unaware just how quickly their hopes dashed, the Hebrew leaders responded with praise. Suddenly, the signs performed with the staff, the worship, the promises of God embraced just hours before were all but forgotten, as Pharaoh demanded they make bricks without providing straw.

Bitterness, broken dreams, and broken backs filled their minds. Often, the message is, “The answer to our prayers is coming.” Instead, we hear, “The answer is now!” Proverbs 13:12 reminds us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick….” This is where the Israelites were living. The answer to their hopes and dreams was right in front of them. Then, the LORD said, “Not quite yet.” Maybe, slaves in Egypt were ready to give up, but God was not. This was His mission after all.

Whatever breaks our hearts, steals our hope and joy, and makes us long to turn back, God's mission will succeed. He has not given up. Neither should we. That is Worth Remembering.