God had revealed to Moses that He had a plan to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, and Moses would be His instrument. In obedience to God's instructions, Moses confronted Pharoah and demanded that he let the Lord's people go out into the desert to worship Him. But instead of the expected deliverance resulting from the encounter, Pharoah ordered the Hebrew slaves to produce the same amount of bricks, but this time, without the straw they were accustomed to being supplied with. Not only were the Israelites not delivered from their captivity, but their problems grew worse as the result of Moses' obedience to God. Who could blame Moses for crying out to God in frustration?

Have you ever had the experience of obeying God in a situation and then being met with more hardships or problems, instead of the anticipated relief or reward? Did you ever express your confidence in God's promises of provision and deliverence to friends or family, only to have your situation grow worse, so that you feared that others would doubt God's dependability? Take heart, dear one. We've all been there. Perhaps God wants us to focus on obeying Him, rather than on the results of our obedience. In every situation and circumstance, obey God--and then trust Him to take care of the results. The Lord didn't deliver Moses and His people overnight, but He did deliver them. Make no mistake--He'll deliver you, too!

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for the times I've obeyed You, and then grumbled or lost faith because I did not receive the reward or results that I had expected or hoped for. Change my heart and renew my mind so that I will learn to focus on obeying You in everything, without regard for the results. Thank You that Your promises to provide for me and rescue me are true, and that You are faithful!