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‘Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord .’ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’ —but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.

“Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”

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.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his country.”

“But Lord!” Moses objected. “My own people won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker!”

But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.’ Exodus 6:1-13 NLT

I have put a long section in this article this week because I wanted you to read this event in context.  The call God put upon Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the people of Israel was never going to be an easy task.  It was not meant to be easy for the Lord was going to do the work and the Lord was going to get the release, the job of Moses was to be obedient, faithful, and trusting of the Lord!

I love how the Lord reminds Moses of His awareness of the covenant He Himself made with the ancestors of Israel.  I also love how he told Moses how He had heard the cries and groans of the people in slavery.  It is important we all hear this and are reminded of the same for those who follow the Lord!

Friends, we need to hear this again today: “I AM the LORD!”  Because He is the Lord, we can have peace and serenity knowing no matter what the future may bring, HE IS LORD!

There may very well be more difficult days ahead for us, especially for those who love and serve the Lord.  However, just as the Lord promised the people of Israel He would redeem them with a “powerful arm and great acts of judgment,” God will not let those who are His disciples down and He will not leave us in a land of slavery and oppression.

HE IS LORD!  Is He LORD of YOUR LIFE?

You are Valued and Love, Pastor Brad

Rev. Brad McKenzie is Lead Pastor at Orange First Church of the Nazarene, 3810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Orange.