Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 5 before reading the devotional below.
Today’s chapter begins with Moses carrying out God’s guaranteed-to-fail plan. Oh, did I mention that the plan not only fails, but also makes the entire situation worse? That’s right. As a result of Moses’ obedience to God, Pharaoh punishes his Jewish slaves even more harshly than he had before. But wait, it gets even worse. The Jewish foremen get so angry for the harsher conditions that they invoke the name of God against Moses and Aaron. They certainly are not thanking them for trying.
Moses pretty much loses it at this point. Have you ever prayed some angry prayers asking God, “What are you doing??” Moses doesn’t pull any punches. He accuses God of being “brutal” and says he’s “done nothing” to help the situation. He’s in a position he never wanted, experiencing failure he never thought was a good idea. Trusting God in a moment like that is a truly supernatural act.
Here’s your freedom for today: God is big enough for your doubts and fears. He’s even big enough for your anger. He knows what he’s doing even when you don’t and his all-knowing, all-powerful nature means he sees the bigger picture when you can’t. Moses’ struggles were not his own. They came to him because he stepped into one of God’s battles. Yahweh versus Pharaoh. God knows he will win, but he has his reasons for letting the battles drag out. The only options Moses had were to trust God or to quit. And quitting would turn out worse. In these moments, we pray helpless prayers and get mad if we need to. God will still be on the throne.