From your perspective: you work hard, you are always on time, you are compassionate, you are available.  And what kind of treatment do you get?  Mistreated?  Abused?  Taken for granted? Ignored?  Unfair!  Unfair!

What is going on?  So much in life is unfair.  More and more is expected of you yet your pay remains the same or even reduced.  Unfairness leads to frustration…

The sons of Israel were slaves in Egypt and they were frustrated!  Pharaoh increased their workload and gave them no relief.  They were expected to get their own straw and still make the same number of bricks everyday as they had in the past.  Frustration!

So they went to the Pharaoh and told him their frustrations.  They told him that his taskmasters were being unreasonable.  And what was his reply?  ‘You are lazy!  Go back to work!’  The Pharaoh had no sympathy for the slaves.  He did not care about them, he owned them.
Exodus 5:15-18

Uh-oh… they recognized they were in real trouble.  The Pharaoh had made the new rules!

How did these leaders of the sons of Israel react?  This was not their fault.  They had tried to reason with Pharaoh; that didn’t work.  So, whose fault was it that they were being treated in this way?

Frustration has to have a cause, right?
Frustration points fingers… whether right or wrong – someone has to be blamed!

Hmmm, Moses and Aaron, they were the cause of this present misery.

As these leaders were leaving Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron were waiting to see how things had gone.  Moses and Aaron immediately found out!

(NASB) Exodus 5:21 “They said to them, ‘May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Frustration – looks at the present circumstances.

Be careful!  God is in charge of what is going on whether you and I understand that or not.

Frustration is not trusting the LORD for your circumstances.

The LORD knew that Pharaoh would not take kindly to his slaves leaving to worship.
He even warned Moses at the beginning.
(NASB) Exodus 3:19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.”

~ Take it to heart ~

Trusting God is to have faith in God,
in your present circumstances,
without knowing the end results.