When your faith hits a brick wall, bring your honest disappointment to God and then fix your eyes on his character instead of your circumstances. Moses learned this right after a spiritual high, when his first attempt to free Israel made everything worse. God didn’t reject him for his frustration. He reminded Moses who he is and what he had promised to do.
Even Faithful People Hit Setbacks
Moses’ story had just taken a hopeful turn. Years earlier he had fled Egypt as a frightened man with blood on his hands. Now he returned as someone God had met, restored, and commissioned. He and his brother Aaron gathered Israel’s leaders, performed the signs God had given them, and shared God’s message. The response couldn’t have been better.
Exodus 4:31 And they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
It was a triumphant moment, and many of us have experienced something like it in our pursuit of God. Maybe it was the day you first put your faith in Jesus, the season when the Bible finally started making sense, or the moment you found a church that felt like home. In those moments, it can seem like nothing will ever go wrong again.
Then real life happens. Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to let the people go and worship, and Pharaoh flatly refused. Worse, he accused the Israelites of laziness and forced them to gather their own straw while still making the same number of bricks. The people who had just worshiped turned on Moses and blamed him for their misery (Exodus 5:21). His faith had hit a brick wall.
Bring Your Disappointment to God
Setbacks like this often lead to disappointment with God himself. Maybe you told friends or family about your new faith and they mocked you. Maybe you sensed God leading you to start something bold, and it fell flat. That’s exactly where Moses found himself, and he didn’t hide how he felt.
Exodus 5:22-23 Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”
It’s a raw prayer, especially since God had already warned Moses that Pharaoh would not let the people go right away (Exodus 4:21). Yet notice what God doesn’t do. He doesn’t strike Moses down or sit him on the sidelines. He listens, and then he answers.
That tells us something important about prayer. You can be honest with God about your frustrations and confusion. This doesn’t give anyone permission to be disrespectful or to walk away from him. It means the right place to take your disappointment is to God, not away from him, and then to wait for his answer.
Trust God’s Character More Than Your Circumstances
God’s answer to Moses can be summed up in two words: trust me. Throughout Exodus 6:1-8, God keeps repeating “I am the LORD” and “I will.” He reminds Moses of his name, his covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his plan to rescue Israel with mighty acts. Rather than explaining every detail, he points Moses back to who he is.
Exodus 6:7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
God was telling Moses to fix his eyes on him, not on Pharaoh, not on the people’s rejection, and not on the bricks and straw. We need the same reminder when life gets frustrating. Our circumstances change constantly, but God’s character never does, and his promises don’t depend on how things look this week.
Moses could also look back on God’s faithfulness: protecting him as a baby and meeting him in the wilderness. You can do the same, and as a Christian you can look to the greatest evidence of all. At the cross and the empty tomb, God proved he keeps his promises even when the situation looks hopeless. When your faith hits a brick wall, he will see you through to the other side.
The Takeaway
When your faith hits a brick wall, don’t be surprised and don’t walk away. Bring your disappointment honestly to God, then fix your eyes on his unchanging character and promises. The God who said “I am the LORD” and “I will” to Moses is still faithful, and he will carry you through the setbacks.
