Let us pray. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. Neither will I let Israel go. Exodus 5:2. Dear Lord, as I meditate on today's scripture, I will charge my soul and encourage myself when it comes to my future. Today, I choose to remind myself of your reputation of faithfulness and blessing. Things. When people seem to get in my way to try to derail my future, I thank you that I do not have to worry or stress, because like Moses, it's not me against Pharaoh, it's Pharaoh against God. Therefore, I declare that all obstacles in my life that represent Pharaoh are not fighting against me, but they are going against the God of this universe who gave me my life mission purpose. With this truth, I will continue to move forward with boldness and anticipation, knowing that if you are on my side, God, I have the majority, and nothing can stop me from seeing your vision come to pass in my life. So I command that every obstacle bow down, that every mountain of trouble moves out of my way, for I am God's child, anointed and appointed to do great things.

Thank you, Jesus, that my freedom is here, that my moment is now, and that my blessings are upon me. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought to you by bibleinayear. Com. Every year, Lent helps us remove distractions and focus on the Lord. This year for lent, give up tossing and turning in your sleep by listening to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes.

He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes on the iHeardRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

Pharaoh says no. In our last story, we learned about how Moses and Aaron were united under the call of God to free Israel from slavery. God gave them signs through Moses, and the two began to win the hearts of the people. In this story, we will see Moses and Aaron approaching the throne of Pharaoh, the heartless tyrant. They challenge him, knowing full well it is not them against Pharaoh, but Pharaoh against God, as inspired by the Book of Exodus.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we journeyed with Moses out of Midian and back to Egypt. Along the way, God prepared Moses for his meeting with Pharaoh. God called Aaron to to Moses and meet him so together they could tell the Hebrew people that God had heard their cries and answered. There was finally hope in Hebrew homes. Deliverance was coming, but would Pharaoh allow it? Today we'll hear as Moses and Aaron, meet with Pharaoh and give him a message from God, Let my people go. Pharaoh will not make things easier for Israel. To the contrary, he will increase their suffering. Listen for how Moses reacts, how he speaks honestly with God, and for God's response to Moses. Let's go now to today's reading.

The doors were as tall as houses. The grand opening in the throne room of Pharaoh opened with a loud rumbling. As Moses and Aaron entered in with the light behind them. At the end of the wide hall adorned with ivory pillars, sat Pharaoh upon his throne. Guards and noblemen of Egypt stood at his side, and priests stood behind him. Moses and Aaron looked up and spoke clearly, saying, The Lord of Israel has spoken. He has declared, 'Let my people go so they might worship me in the wilderness. ' Pharaoh sat motionless and said, 'Who is this God that I should obey his voice? I do not know your Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go. ' Aaron spoke as a mouthpiece for Moses and said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Allow us to depart for three days into the wilderness so we can worship him lest his hand be against us. Pharaoh, irritated by their very presence, replied to them, Moses and Aaron, why would you take my slaves away? Get out of my sight and go back to your own burdens. These people are mine, and make them rest from their work.

' Moses and Aaron departed. Later that day, Pharaoh ordered to the foremen to make the Hebrews work even harder. He would limit their supplies for work, but continued to give them the same workload, and he explicitly ordered their work to be heavier if they cried out to worship their God. So the people of Israel worked harder with more beatings in the heat of the day. Their work became more exhausting, and their days dragged on longer. They looked at Moses and Aaron with bloodshot eyes and backs torn apart by whips. They groaned and said, 'May the Lord judge you for this. You have sunk us even lower in the sight of Pharaoh and his men. You have put a sword in their hands to kill us. ' Moses left to go be with God. Moses' heart ached. He was riddled with guilt and compassion for the people, and he was mad at God for not making things easier. 'Oh, Lord, he cried, Why have you done this to them? Why did you send me? I have spoken to Pharaoh, but he was evil to them, and you have done nothing. Moses said these things with a heavy heart.

His soul could barely take the suffering of his brothers and sisters. God spoke spoke to Moses, not angrily, but with compassion. He comforted Moses and said, Moses, watch and see what I will do to Pharaoh, for he will beg them to leave soon enough. God's resolve and courage could be felt. His presence was strong. He spoke again to Moses, saying, I am the Lord. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I I am God Almighty. I made my promise to give them the land of Canaan. I have heard the suffering of my people and remembered my covenant to them. Moses lifted his head towards heaven in awe of God, but in doubt of himself. God continued and said, Say to my people, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burden of Egypt. I will redeem with an outstretched arm. By my mighty hand, I will perform acts of judgment on all who take away your freedom. You are not Pharaoh's people. You are my people. I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord of all. As a shepherd leads his sheep, I will lead you to the land I swore to your forefathers.

I am God. Moses boldly declared this to the people of Israel, but their ears were closed off to him. Their spirits were broken by slavery. Tears no longer filled their eyes. They were crumbled under the heavy hand of Pharaoh and could no longer feel anything. They looked at Moses with weary eyes, unable to hope anymore. This brokenness grieved God. Pharaoh would not go unpunished for breaking the souls of his children. Children. He turned to Moses and said, 'Go back in. Tell Pharaoh to let my people go. ' Moses said to God, 'If the people of Israel would not even listen to me, what makes you think Pharaoh will? I am not eloquent or polished with my words. The Lord's resolve to free his people did not wane. He charged Moses and Aaron to go forth and confront Pharaoh. He said, I have made you like me to Pharaoh, and Aaron is your prophet. Go with the confidence I give you. Know this, Pharaoh will have a hard heart, but I will lay my hand on all of Egypt. My mighty ax will not be ignored. The Egyptians shall know that I am the one true God, and my judgment will spread like a wildfire.

So Moses and Aaron left to before Pharaoh once again.

Today's reading begins at the doors of Pharaoh's palace. God has sent Moses and his brother Aaron to tell Pharaoh he wants his children back. Boldly, Moses and Aaron deliver the familiar words to Pharaoh, Let my people go. It was a bodacious, outlandish request for his Hebrew slaves to simply be released. God had already told Moses things would not go well at first. God was going to harden Pharaoh's heart, and he would not relinquish control easily. But this would ultimately lead to God's power and glory being seen clearly by all. So Pharaoh refused to let the people go and told Moses he doesn't even know their God. The request frustrated him, so he made life harder for the Hebrew slaves. The people went to Moses and Aaron, pouring down accusations on them. Why did they bring even more trouble upon them? Moses knew Pharaoh wouldn't be a reasonable man. God had prepared him for this outcome, but that didn't make it easier. We can relate to this. Jesus told us, In this world, we will have trouble. There will be opposition in persecution and resistance, and sometimes it is very painful. When that happens, we, like Moses, can be honest with God and share our deepest hurts and feelings.

When this happens, we can, like Moses, go before God and share our hurts honestly. God's response is a lesson for you and me today. Throughout scripture, we see people of great faith pouring out their hearts, sometimes in anger, fear, frustration, even despair. But God is always the loving Father, and his response is to love us and to be faithful to us in every situation, that God will be steadfast, that God will always be with us. That's what we see here. God was not angry with Moses for his honesty. He simply reminded Moses of his sovereignty, saying, I am in control of this situation, and God always is in control. So then he gave Moses a message to deliver to his people. God was about to show Pharaoh just how powerful he is, and he would show them that they were his children, not Pharaoh's people. What was to follow would leave no doubt who God is. He is the one true God, the great I am. Still, the spirits of the Hebrews were crushed, so Moses' words didn't give them much hope or comfort at this point because they were despondent. Moses doesn't doubt God, but sometimes he still doubts himself.

His own people have turned against him. So why would Pharaoh listen? That same insecurity, the same insecurity that he expressed on the mountain in Midian at the burning bush, rises up again. I can't do it. But God answered the same way. He always answers our fears and doubts. Yes, you can, because I am with you. Moses and Aaron return to Pharaoh, and the next time, We're going to see what happens. Dear God, we are so thankful that we can bring you our fears, our frustrations, our failures, and sometimes even our anger to you. And yet you are always patient with us and comfort us and strengthen us because you do not want our spirits to be crushed. You want to lift us up that we would be strong in you. Thank you for this story today, reminding us that you are always powerful and always present in the power of your great name. Amen. Thank you for listening to Today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the pray. Com app and make prayer a priority in your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know, someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can make a big difference in someone's life in Jesus' name.

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This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. Every year, Lent helps us remove distractions and focus on the Lord. This year for Lent, give up tossing and turning in your sleep by listening to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes.

He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight.. Listen to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes on the iHeardRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.