“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Have you ever been in such a long, difficult season that the promise in Jeremiah 29:11 felt impossible? God said it, and it is true, but it doesn’t always feel true, especially when we are suffering. It is easier to hold on to His promises when we understand how He operates. The Bible calls it knowing His ways. Knowing His ways helps us to have hope and faith in our troubles, especially when we have little or no control over our circumstances.

In this short series, Out of Egypt, we will explore faith during difficult times by studying Israel’s deliverance from the oppression of Egypt. Whether we are facing a personal or relational struggle, learning how God works—and remembering that He is kind and just—can inform and strengthen our faith in seemingly impossible situations.

Conditioned to Be Disappointed

The Israelites had been enslaved under Pharaoh for generations. They prayed and cried out but saw no answer. They became conditioned not to expect miracles. They lived in a hard place where hope ended in disappointment and defiance was dangerous. Generations had learned to limit their expectations of anything good.

They must have wondered,  Surely God knows what we are going through. Does He not hear or care that we are suffering? Where is God?

I find it significant that after identifying Himself, the first thing God told Moses was that He had seen His people’s suffering and heard their cries.

“The Lord said, ‘I have in fact seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their pain and suffering.’” Exodus 3:7 AMP

When God does not answer us immediately, it can feel as though He doesn’t see or care. Exodus 3 clearly shows us that this isn’t true. God had seen every injustice, heard every cry, and known every moment of suffering—even when His people could not see evidence that He was working.

Abandoned or Hidden?

In the time of waiting for our answers, we can sometimes feel as though God’s abandoned us. However, there is an important difference between being abandoned and being unable to see what He is doing. God’s plan for Israel’s deliverance was already in motion before they knew anything about it. While they were still making bricks under Pharaoh’s oppression, God was speaking to Moses from a burning bush. Their deliverance was hidden from them, but it was not absent.

When we’ve been conditioned for disappointment, we can mistake waiting for abandonment. We may interpret God’s silence as indifference or even punishment and assume that the absence of visible change means nothing is happening or that we deserve it. Yet God may already be preparing the person, path, timing, and circumstances He will use to lead us out.

“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced by a strong hand. So I will reach out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.” Exodus 3:19–20 AMP

God knew what it would take to free His people. Pharaoh’s resistance didn’t surprise Him; in fact, He counted on it. The Israelites’ suffering hadn’t escaped His care or attention. God was preparing, not abandoning them. Their deliverance was still hidden, from their view, just like our situation seems impossible, but God’s plan was already underway.

Prayer

Lord, I trust Your promise that You will make a way out of the Egypt I am in. I become discouraged when I don’t see clear answers to my cries and prayers. When I cannot see what You’re doing, I choose to remember Your ways are good and just. I cling to Your love and trust that You see my suffering, hear my prayers, and know exactly what it will take to deliver me.

Keep me from mistaking waiting for abandonment. Strengthen my faith when Your work is still hidden from me, and help me trust that You are preparing the way forward. I choose to believe in Your goodness and hold on to Your promises. In Jesus’ name, amen.