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[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections, Not As It Seems, Exodus 7, 4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments.

[0:19] John 16, 33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

[0:33] 2 Peter 2, 9 The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. What on the surface may appear to be a catastrophe, may in actuality be the mighty hand of God, working all things together for the good of his people.

[0:54] God knows how to deliver, and how to judge. It is never a question of God's capability or willingness to work on behalf of his people.

[1:05] That question was answered at the cross, when God willingly gave his son up to death, for the sake of the lost. Nothing is beyond the limit of God's ability to be turned into a blessing.

[1:17] For Moses, he was being asked to willingly move forward into a situation that he knew was going to get worse before it got better. Moses' obedience to God's direction was not going to produce joy, peace, or deliverance.

[1:34] At first, how could God be asking Moses to do something that would cause such harm and frustration to God's people? How could he obey when he knew that the people he loved the most would be hurt and discouraged by his actions?

[1:51] Obeying God is not a one-and-done thing. As much as Moses would have liked to have obeyed God and then seen instant deliverance, he knew that the deliverance of God's people was going to be a process.

[2:06] God's people would experience the painful oppression of Egypt, delayed deliverance, and a very trying time before their promised deliverance was at hand. And yet, what may have looked like delay was actually just one more step along the path of God's deliverance.

[2:26] God's deliverance is never just about the end result. God's deliverance is every moment that leads to that end result. God's deliverance is in accordance with his word and his nature.

[2:40] When God speaks deliverance for his people, it's a done deal. Everything after that is just a part of the process of living out that truth. God's deliverance cannot fail, no matter how difficult or painful the short-term process may be.

[2:58] And God's deliverance is also always at work in the lives of those he has delivered. 1 Samuel 16, 7 Father, thank you that the painful circumstances of your deliverance do not in any way indicate that you are not delivering.

[3:23]  Help us to always look to your word and not our circumstances for the true test of your deliverance. Amen. 2 Samuel 16, 8