The Loving Father Listens

There are times in our lives when the pressures of this life beat down upon us with such intensity that it is hard to pick oneself up and keep going. In times like these, it doesn’t seem anything will work out the way we hoped. Then when we try to talk to others about our pain and suffering it seems nobody wants to listen. On these occasions, it would be easy to just give up and throw in the towel. Don’t be hasty! Never forget that God loves you and He will listen to you.

In Exodus 2, we are told of Moses’ actions stopping an Egyptian from beating a fellow Hebrew. He killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. The next day, Moses stopped two Hebrews from fighting. The response was “Do you intend to kill me as you did the Egyptian?” Moses knew that his actions would be found out. Rather than being a source of strength for the Israelites, a deliverer of the children of God, and a source of power to stop the bondage, Moses was looked at in a negative light. Moses fled to Midian and tended flocks for Jethro.

 

In the process of time (40 years — Moses being content living with Zipporah, his wife, serving his father in law) things did not get better for the children of Israel. They “groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage” (Exodus 2:23). God’s children, His chosen people, were crying out for help. They were hurting. They were oppressed. They were forced into labor. They needed help. They needed a deliverer. They cried out to God who not only would hear, but would respond to help His children.

God Hears His Children: God heard their groaning (2:24). He heard their cry (3:7,9). When a father hears the cry of his children, he wants to help and does whatever he can to provide for his loved one (Cf. Matt. 7:7-12). God, our Father, hears our cries (1 Peter 5:7). When others do not seem to care, when it seems others will not listen, take your heartache to the Father.

God Knows Our Sorrows: God knew the sorrow felt by the children of Israel because of the taskmasters (3:7). Likewise, God knows our hearts (Luke 16:15). The Father knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:8). God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). Because of the great gift of Jesus Christ, we can come “boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). God knows and sympathizes with our pain.

God Watches Over Us: God looked upon the children of Israel (2:25). He saw their oppression (3:7,9). “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cries” (Ps. 34:15; 1 Pet. 3:12). As much as we try to look out for one another, we cannot always be there. As much a blessing as it is to have a judicial system to punish the evil, and law enforcement to help enforce and execute the laws, harm sometimes comes upon us. The best security system in the world cannot guarantee that they will be there for us when we really need them. However, we have a Father who is always watching over us. What comfort it should bring to us to know that God is always there for us.

God Remembers His Promises: God remembered His covenant with Abraham (2:23). It isn’t that God had forgotten, but that the time had come to deliver on His promise. The children of Israel were about to start home. This is good news for Christians. God will keep His promises. We can trust Him. He is faithful and just (1 John 1:7-9). God has promised those who obey Him eternal life and one day, He will deliver.

God Knows His Children: God acknowledged them (2:25). God knows those who are His (2 Tim. 2:19). He cares about us and recognizes us as His.

God Delivers The Oppressed: God came down to deliver His children out of the Egyptian bondage (3:8). God sent Moses to lead the people to the promised land of Canaan. Our loving Father sent His Son, Jesus, the Christ, to be our Savior. He delivered us from sin, bondage and death.

When times get tough, remember, God knows His children, watches over us, hears our cries, knows our sorrows, keeps His promises, and will and has delivered us from oppression. Our loving Father is listening!