Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

Dictionary defines this word as “low spirits from loss of hope or courage.”

I came across this word while I was reading the NASB version of Exodus chapter 6. Verse 6 to 8 has the promise of deliverance by God to Moses regarding the people of Israel:

Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 

Exodus 6:6-8 NASB

Upon hearing the promise, this was the Israelites’ response:

So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

Exodus 6:9 NASB

They had been slaves for far too long, crushed, broken and so low in spirits that when they heard the promise of God through Moses, they chose not to listen or believe because they had lost all hope. Even Moses was dejected after seeing their response, but that did not stop God from fulfilling His promise to them. Step by step, task after task, day after day, He continued to do all that He had planned/promised to do.

Are you despondent? Have you given up praying because you got tired of waiting too long? are your burdens too heavy to bear? Do you fail to listen or remember God’s promises to you? Don’t worry God’s got this one. He is faithful in keeping His promises, He never fails.

Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.

Exodus 14:13-14 NASB

We see right before the red sea, the assuring promise of God to His people to stand by and keep silent and see His salvation. Just while reading this verse I realise: both LISTEN and SILENT are anagrams! They failed to listen but God tells them to stay silent and just see how God delivers!

We all know how the story ends with God’s deliverance. Same way, keep silent, stand by and one day you will get to see how God delivers you from the despondent situation that you are in!