“So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.”
The Israelites had been waiting for deliverance for years. God had promised freedom, and Moses came with a message of hope—but the people couldn’t take it in. Why?
Because the weight of their suffering was too heavy. Their hearts were crushed by disappointment after disappointment.
Have you ever been there? Maybe you’ve prayed for something for years—a breakthrough, a healing, a prodigal child returning home, a financial struggle to ease. At first, you believed. You trusted. But as time dragged on and nothing seemed to change, discouragement slowly settled in. Like the Israelites, you didn’t stop believing in God’s existence—you just stopped expecting anything from Him.
There has been a few occasions in my life when I have felt like this. I believed. I prayed. I trusted. I cried many nights. Nothing happened. I was discouraged and finally gave up and stopped expecting an answer. And then, God responded. Always!! After a few times of experiencing this over a few years, I learnt a valuable lesson. Real trust and faith is when we stop being anxious or worried “after” casting our cares on the Lord. I learned to trust Him in such a way that I didn’t care how or when He would answer. I knew He heard me and knows what I am going through and that was enough. Whatever happens WILL happen for my good (even if it doesn’t seem good) because I knew I loved the Lord. (Romans 8:28).
I’ve also come to realize that when I expect God’s answer to arrive in the package of my own imagination, I am only setting myself up for disappointment. While I wait, anxiety creeps in because I’m fixated on my timeline and my plan. When things don’t happen the way I envisioned, discouragement quickly follows. Looking deeper, I see that this anxiety often comes from a subtle form of self-reliance. Without noticing, I begin to place more trust in my prayers and expectations than in God Himself. But God, in His wisdom, often waits until we are emptied of self-dependence—so that when He does act, it is unmistakably His mighty hand that delivers us, and not our own effort. Living a Christian life is not just about being religious.
Discouragement has a way of deafening us to God’s promises. When suffering feels endless, our hearts whisper: “Why hope anymore? It only hurts.” But here’s the truth in the verse of the day. God never forgets His promises. Even when the Israelites couldn’t listen, God still acted. He sent the plagues, parted the Red Sea, and brought them out with a mighty hand. Their discouragement did not stop God’s deliverance.
God still works in our seasons of waiting. Even when we don’t see or feel anything, God is moving. Our discouragement does not cancel His faithfulness. As the lyrics of the song “Waymaker” goes, “Even when I don’t see it, you’re working, Even when I don’t feel it, you’re working, you never stop, you never stop working! Beautiful song.
If you’re weighed down today by prolonged suffering, don’t give up. The Israelites’ story reminds us that even when hope feels gone, God is still faithful. He is the God who hears groans, who sees tears, and who acts on His perfect timing.
Hold on. The same God who delivered Israel will come through for you. Let this verse not be a picture of defeat in your life, but a reminder that even when you feel too broken to believe, God’s promises are still true.