God Sees, God Hears, God Cares, God Rescues
“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them ....”
Exodus 3:7-8 (NIV)
Where is God when it hurts, when life is hard, and you are suffering? If you’ve ever asked that question you are in good company. When God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt He said, “… I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them ....’” Exodus 3:7-8 (NIV) Did you notice the three things God said to Moses? They describe the heart of God for His people and help us understand how God works and what God is like. God is like what He does. He said to Moses, “I have seen the misery of My people … I have heard them crying out … I am concerned about their suffering.”
After some 80 years when Moses had given up his own rescue mission for Israel and fled to another country, God awakens a dream in his heart, and He reveals something about His character to Moses. I see their misery. I hear their cry. I care about their suffering! God’s compassion for His people led Him to action. “So I have come down to rescue them!” What a powerful word of encouragement!
We say we believe in God, but what kind of God do we believe in? The God revealed in the Bible is a God who knows us. He sees what we are going through. He is a God who cares. There is nothing too small for His concern or too great for His power. He is a God who can rescue us! Sometimes God changes my circumstances. Other times He lets the circumstances change me. His goal is to reproduce the likeness of His character in me because He created me in His image and after His own likeness. I was made by God, and I was made for God. When sin entered the world, it separated us from God and led us into slavery. Harmful habits enslave us. We cry out for deliverance. We want to be free. So God sent a deliverer “who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age ….” Galatians 1:4 (NIV)
We no longer have to live under the dominion of darkness bound by our sinful habits. That’s the good news! It’s why God sent His Son, Jesus. The Bible puts it this way, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)
I don’t know what you are going through, but I know this - God sees you, God hears your cry and God cares. He’s already come to rescue you. Receive His forgiveness and grace and enter into the Kingdom of His Son!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.