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when the going gets rough.

unpopular and obedient.
Two adjectives that shouldn't go together, but very often do.

The entire book of Exodus is filled with big things God did for His people, using a fellow named Moses.
Moses listened to God.
God told Moses some pretty bold, pretty wild things to do,
and Moses obeyed them all.
If you think that listening to God will make you popular and win you lots of friends,
read Exodus.
God made a promise to Moses and all of Israel.
He promised to lead them out of slavery in Egypt, into a land "flowing with milk and honey."
This place is called "The Promise Land," because God promised it to His people.
Getting to the Promise Land was anything but easy.
First, Moses had to talk Pharaoh into letting the Israelites free. Pharaoh wasn't interested in letting his free labor go worship their God whom he didn't believe in.
Plague after plague God sent to Egpyt, Pharaoh still wasn't budging.
Alas, after he lost his son after the last plague, he said Moses could take the Israelites out of Egpyt.

After Moses won the long and difficult battle with Pharaoh, his own people, the Israelites, turned on him and doubted God's Hand in the whole liberation process.
They said things like, "We're hungry, Moses. Things were better when we were slaves in Egypt."
Moses was betrayed, he was ridiculed, he was questioned.
But he didn't stop trusting God and he didn't stop fighting on towards the Promise Land.

God has promised us things in our own lives, our very own Promise Lands.
He's not going to wave a magic wand and poof us there or drop His promises into our laps.
We've got to claim the Promise Land ourselves.
Fight for it and keep on pressing on, even when the going gets rough.
God never lied to Moses, and He fulfilled His promise to His people.
Moses knew that he would, so when things got hard, he trusted that God would do what He said He would do.

p.s. I have a dog named Moses. He's sort of a brave, warrior type himself. Goes along with the name I suppose. partner with me writings from other days