Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Exodus 2:23-25 NKJV

The children of Israel prayed unto God by reason of their affliction and suffering. Their situation was so bad and destiny threatening. A well-articulated and deftly orchestrated ploy had been put in place to wipe them out and truncate God’s plan and purpose for their lives. In their helpless situation they looked up to God and prayed. Prayer meetings and all kinds of prayer chains well conducted from place to place, quarter to quarter, clan by clan and the Lord heard them. God remembered His Word to Abraham their father and set out to fulfil His Word. He set out to not only remove their pain and burden, but also to deliver them and give them a nation of their own. He sent Moses, a man He had prepared. They heard the word for His servant and rejoiced in the Lord.

However, when they prayed and received an answer of God’s deliverance and the fulfilment of His Word, what they didn’t know was what it was going to take for Pharaoh to let them go. They didn’t know it was not going to come with ease, they didn’t know it will alter their condition and further aggravate their oppressor. They didn’t know it will plunge them as it were into a dire situation, unpredictable circumstances, conditions they’d have no control over and could not predict nor prepare for. They didn’t know it meant they would be trapped and caught in straits between the red sea and the charging threat of Pharaoh’s army. They had no idea how scary the trip would be, no idea how uncertain their experience would be and how unpredictably things would play out. They never envisaged a marah experience, nor did they contemplate the serpent attacks. They had no idea of the demon inspired Balam and the Balak. They had no idea there were giants in the land, formidable forces, with intimidating resumes. They didn’t know it was going to take all the power of God and their faith in Him to bring them to the promise land.

Hence, they were quick to complain and murmur, they were quick to follow a god carved by their own hands, quick to follow their own lusts. Not only is it that they didn’t know all these things, worst of all they had no idea of He who was with them, He who had promised. They saw His acts but they didn’t know His ways. Their hearts were not inclined to God, their understanding was not illuminated to see Him, and so they could not hold on to the end.

To be continued…