So Moses went back to the Lord and asked, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? And why did you ever send me? Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in your name he has caused trouble for this people, and you haven’t rescued your people at all.” But the Lord replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land. —Exodus 5:22-6:1
“God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.” —Psalms 63:1
God will lead us into spiritual
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.” —Exodus 5:1
“Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” —Exodus 5:2
“The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword.” —Exodus 5:3
“That day Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the people as well as their foremen, “Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves. But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers — that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.” —Exodus 5:6-9
“It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you.” —John 16:7
“When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them. May the Lord take note of you and judge,” they said to them, “because you have made us reek to Pharaoh and his officials - putting a sword in their hand to kill us!” —Exodus 5:20-21
“Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? And why did you ever send me? Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in your name he has caused trouble for this people, and you haven’t rescued your people at all.” —Exodus 5:22-23
“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land.” —Exodus 6:1
Be
“For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — for whom and through whom all things exist — should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” —Hebrews 2:10-11
Look for
“This, then, is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent. To trample it down under hope in the Cross. To wage war against despair unceasingly. That war is our wilderness. If we wage it courageously, we will find Christ at our side.” —Thomas Merton
For further study:
Scripture: Psalm 6, 10, 38, 42, 43, 130; Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1
Resources: “Thoughts in Solitude” by Thomas Merton
Community Group Guide:
What do you understand as a “desert season” in your walk with God?
What has been/or do you anticipate to be the most difficult for you:
Trusting God in the desert
Lamenting to God in the desert.
Being patient in the desert.
Looking for Jesus in the desert.
Can you tell us of a time God led you through a spiritual desert?
How long did that season last for you?
What emotions did you experience?
Can you see how God worked in your life in that time?
Does anyone need prayer/encouragement for a season they are in now?
To prepare for next week: The Plagues; Exodus 7-11