Moses’ first meeting with Pharaoh did not go well at all. Pharaoh not only ignored what Yahweh had to say, but took the opportunity to teach the Israelites a lesson by giving them more work to do than they could possibly accomplish. His purpose was to show them the serious consequences of acknowledging Yahweh as a sovereign above Pharaoh! Pharaoh's plan worked and in the end, the Israelites did not believe God was going to deliver them (at least not the way Moses was going about it) and they blamed Moses for all their troubles.
Moses also feels that God has failed to do what He said, so Moses turns to God and blames God for failing to deliver on His word. Even though Moses’ prayer was far from a humble petition to God, it was none-the-less the right starting place. Moses turned toward God rather than away from God, and God would meet Him there, even in his frustration born out of a huge lack of faith. God answers Moses by assuring him that Pharaoh will absolutely drive the Israelites out of Egypt by the time God is finished dealing with Pharaoh. God then gives Moses a message for Israel to encourage them as well. God makes seven claims of what He will do for Israel which can be summarized as follows - I will save you; I will adopt you; I will give you a glorious inheritance. What is remarkable about these promises is that these are the exact themes of the Gospel, promised to all who put their faith in Christ! The people are struggling to believe God, and to endure patiently for the fulfillment of these promises. Moses 'sermon' is intended to deepen their faith so they can wait for God to act and to do what He has said He will do.
But, the people cannot hear it! The text says there are two reasons why they are unable to hear and believe Moses' message: First, they are "short of spirit", that is spiritually lacking, or impatient; second, they are overwhelmed by their outward circumstances which has become the sole focus of their attention. What they need in order to endure is to hold on to the words of the promises Moses delivered, but they are unable to hear the words because of their impatience (inability to endure) and because they are consumed by their problems. So, what is to be done? How can they get the help they need and is being offered to them, when they are unable and unwilling to receive it.
Humanly speaking it seems hopeless, but it is not hopeless with God. He is going to show them who He is, and what the I AM can do, even if they have no faith to believe it. God's saving work is not dependent on their faith or their response. God will save them on the basis of His will and power alone. But, as the Israelites encounter God in His mighty saving acts, and experience the power of His deliverance, they will then come to know that He is the I AM and that they must listen to and hold on to His promises. What they are unable to know at first through His Word alone, they will come to know and understand by experience. Then, they will have a greater capacity to hear 'preaching' of the Word, and have the faith to hold on to its promises.
Like the Israelites, we can get very discouraged in life, and at times we may feel that God does not care about us. When we feel that God does not care, and is not going to help us, we will turn to other gods to give us what we think we need to be happy. The only medicine to combat this doubt and despondency, and the sin that naturally flows out of this thinking, is to build into our life a solid foundation of faith based on the Gospel Promises clearly and firmly proclaimed throughout all of Scripture. But, this is not simply a matter of deciding by our own will that we are going to trust God more. It must begin by a personal encounter with the power of God as He saves us, by His hand - and this is not in any way dependent on us, at first we do not even have the faith to believe it possible! Faith itself is a gift of God produced by His saving grace.
But, for those who have an experiential knowledge of God through salvation, as the bedrock of their life, they can build on that, a solid foundation of faith by a number of daily practices. Three are obvious from this passage: 1) by 'preaching' these promises to ourselves and others, 2) by focusing on the Gospel promises, rather than our current circumstances, 3) walking in the promises by doing what they require (that is, by living as if they are true, regardless of how we feel)
