Obedience When It’s Hard

There are moments when obedience to God feels anything but easy.

When Moses stood before the burning bush and heard God call his name, his first response was not confidence but hesitation. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he asked (Exodus 3:11, NIV). And even when God’s call was unmistakably clear, Moses said what so many of us feel: “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13, NIV).

This is where his story begins—not with strength, but with weakness. He was slow of speech (Exodus 4:10), tainted by a complicated past, and hidden in the wilderness for years. By every measure, he seemed like the wrong choice. Yet it was there that God met him and said, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:12, NIV).

God was not asking Moses to be enough in himself. He was asking him to trust that His plan was far greater than anything Moses could see. So Moses obeyed.

That obedience did not make life easier. In fact, it made life much harder for Moses. Pharaoh resisted, the people complained, and the path ahead often felt uncertain. Still, Moses kept moving forward. As Hebrews tells us, “By faith Moses… persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27, NIV). He pressed on—not because the road was clear—but because God was. 

Even then, his story was not perfect. Near the end of his life, Moses disobeyed God, and the consequence was that he would not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20). In mercy, God allowed him to see it from a distance (Deuteronomy 34:1–4), a reminder that his life was always part of something greater.

Because Moses was never the true deliverer.

His story points to Jesus, the One who obeyed perfectly where Moses did not. “For as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19, NIV).

This is our hope, and it is also our calling. The same God who called Moses still calls us today, not to be perfect, but to trust Him. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6, NIV).

Obedience may be hard. It may be costly. But it is never wasted, because God is faithful and still at work through those who are willing to trust and obey Him.

Moses: Sight & Sound (DVD)

From the banks of the Nile River to the depths of the Red Sea, MOSES is a spectacular entertainment experience that is faithful to Scripture and made for the whole family!

Set adrift as a baby, Moses is an unlikely hero—until God calls him to lead His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Journey with him as he ventures through the wilderness, encounters God at the burning bush, and ascends to the top of Mount Sinai.

In this original stage production from Sight & Sound Theatres, one of the Bible’s most epic stories comes to life with massive sets, special effects, and live animals. Filmed in front of a live audience, MOSES has been experienced by nearly two million people on stage. Now you can experience this epic Bible story as it comes to life like never before!