When God Reminds You Who He Is

Exodus 6:6–7 (ESV)
“Say therefore to the people 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 slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’”

Exodus 6 comes right after one of Moses’ most discouraging moments.

Moses obeyed God. He went to Pharaoh. He spoke what God told him to speak. But instead of things getting better, things got worse. Pharaoh increased the burden on the people, the people turned against Moses, and Moses cried out to the Lord in confusion.

And God’s response is powerful.

He does not begin by giving Moses a detailed explanation of every step that is coming. He does not give him a full timeline. He does not tell him exactly how long the process will take. Instead, God reminds Moses who He is.

“I am the Lord.”

That phrase anchors the entire passage.

Before God tells Moses what He will do, He reminds Moses who He is. That matters because when life gets heavy, our view of God has to become bigger than our view of the problem. Moses is staring at Pharaoh’s resistance. He is staring at Israel’s suffering. He is staring at his own inadequacy. But God lifts his eyes back to the truth.

“I am the Lord.”

Then God begins to make promise after promise.

I will bring you out. I will deliver you. I will redeem you. I will take you to be my people. I will be your God.

This is not Moses trying to work up confidence in himself. This is God grounding Moses in His own faithfulness.

That is what we need too.

As my faith has matured and grown over the years, I have realized more and more that while feelings matter and they can be a great asset, they are a terrible leader. The Bible even tells us that the heart is deceitful. I would love to say that every single day I wake up feeling encouraged and ready to go. The reality is that there are many days when I have to look past my discouragement and look to God’s goodness, and then use that as fuel.

That is a very different way to live.

When you base your life on God’s goodness rather than your feelings, you begin to develop a deeper understanding of faith. Faith is not pretending feelings do not exist. Faith is not denying discouragement. Faith is not acting like the burden is not heavy. Faith is choosing to anchor yourself in who God is, even when what you feel is trying to pull you somewhere else.

That is exactly what God gives Moses in Exodus 6.

He gives him truth that is deeper than the moment.

There are seasons where discouragement can make us forget what God has already said. Pressure can make us question the promise. Delay can make us wonder if anything is changing. Opposition can make us feel like obedience did not matter. But Exodus 6 reminds us that God’s faithfulness is not determined by how things look in the moment.

God had not forgotten His covenant.

He had not missed the suffering of His people.

He had not changed His mind.

He was still the Lord.

One of the most important things we can do in discouraging seasons is come back to who God is. Not just what we feel. Not just what we see. Not just what we fear. Not just what seems delayed. We come back to the character of God.

He is faithful. He is sovereign. He is merciful. He is near. He is able. He keeps His promises.

And what is interesting is that when Moses gives this message to the people, Exodus 6 says they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. That is such an honest detail. Their pain was so heavy that they struggled to even receive the promise.

That can happen.

Sometimes people are so worn down by what they have been carrying that hope feels hard to hear. Their spirit is broken. Their strength is low. Their situation feels loud. And even when truth is spoken, it can be difficult to take it in.

But their inability to receive the promise did not make the promise less true.

God was still going to deliver them.

That is grace.

God’s faithfulness is not dependent on the strength of our emotions in the moment. He does not stop being God when we feel tired. He does not stop keeping His promises when we feel discouraged. He does not abandon the story when we struggle to believe.

So today, if you feel worn down, come back to who God is.

If your spirit feels tired, remember who He is.

If the pressure feels heavy, remember who He is.

If the promise feels delayed, remember who He is.

The same God who told Moses, “I am the Lord,” is still Lord today.

And when God says, “I will,” Pharaoh does not get the final word. Slavery does not get the final word. Discouragement does not get the final word. Delay does not get the final word.

God does.

Prayer
Lord, thank You that You are faithful even when we feel discouraged. Help us remember who You are when life feels heavy and the promise feels delayed. Teach us not to be ruled by our feelings, but to anchor our hearts in Your goodness and character. Lift our eyes above the pressure of the moment and remind us that You are the Lord, that You keep Your promises, and that You are still working even when we struggle to see it. In Jesus’ name, amen.