*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_ 
 
Friday 20th February 2026 

A TROUBLED HEART

Scripture Reading: Exodus 6 
 
So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of the anguish of spirit and cruel bondage. Exodus 6:9
 
We can learn a lot from how the children of Israel responded to God’s message of deliverance. You would think that people who had been in slavery for hundreds of years would welcome God’s message of freedom to them. For years, they had cried for deliverance, yet when the process of liberation started, they seemed rather hesitant and even opposed to it.  
 
When Moses went to the people to assure them of God’s deliverance, they did not pay any attention to him. The reason given was their ‘anguish of spirit and cruel bondage’.  
 
They were discouraged, exhausted and their spirit was crushed. The bondage had broken their will and resolve to pursue the freedom that God had promised them. Their heart was heavy, their morale was low and they saw no end in sight although God had promised them deliverance and exodus to the land He had promised them.  
 
These are the same people who had cried to the Lord as a result of deplorable living conditions. 
 
Words of assurance that should have strengthened the people of Israel, now infuriated them. God gave them seven strong commitments. However, none of those commitments meant much to the children of Israel. 
 
Many times, people pray for God’s intervention in their lives but are not ready for what it takes to receive the answer to their prayer. Maybe when they prayed, they expected God to whisk them away from Egypt without confronting Pharaoh. They did not expect that God’s answer to their prayer would include them taking a stand with Him. 
 
Are there times when we frustrate the process God uses to give us what we have asked Him for? Yes, there are. Many times.  
 
Until God’s promises to us feel more real to us than our pain, we cannot experience the divine interventions we hope for.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, your promises are my reality. I choose to take sides with you against all my troubles. In Jesus’ name, Amen.