“Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings … therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharoah so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Under Pharoah’s rule over Egypt the Israelites have been subject to much hardship and afflictions as slaves. God has promised He will bring His people into a land flowing with milk and honey. In our passage, the Lord is commissioning Moses to lead the people into God’s promised land. Following his encounter with the burning bush, God is confirming to Moses He has seen, knows, and has heard the people’s cries of anguish. In Hebrew language, the seeing, knowing, and hearing is emphatic, meaning God’s response to Moses is with emphasis and is definite. As with Moses and the Israelites, it is the same God that sees, knows, and hears our cries when we struggle with the issues of life.
At the age of 52 and having served for 12 years as the founder and senior pastor of a church, the Lord called my wife and I back to California without a job, nor the prospect of a job, but rather to simply go in faith. Arriving in California, I did not fare well. It seems I am one who needs to always be busy. The idea of relaxing and resting is a challenge to my nature. When I arrived in California, I began the process of finding employment in a down market and a time when churches were contracting, not expanding, staff. I suffered great anxiety and even began questioning the Lord’s call to move. During this time my beloved wife told me that the Lord told her: after 12 years of planting a church and providing as a vocational pastor, He wanted me to have six months of rest. I could not receive such a blessing. As it turned out, I accepted a job better than any position I had previously held. Sure enough, it came almost six months to the day day of moving to California. God was faithful in His call. Because I spent the months prior searching and searching, I missed out on His blessing of rest.
As believers we must remember in difficulties that God is not distant nor indifferent to our troubles. He cares for you and desires His best for you and His people (Isa 55:7-12). His love and care for us requires faith, trust, and obedience to allow God to work for us in our times of trouble. God promises to intervene in our life for good. So be wise and remember, Beloved, that the Father knows best. He sees all in our life, knows all about our life, hears all the cries of our hearts, and in all of it, He cares for us, loves us, and will lead us faithfully in His way.
By David Massie, Friend of Bible League, United States
