HOPE FOR YOUR JOURNEY
Exodus 3:1-12
There are times in life when we are tired, weary, frustrated and discouraged. We endure times of sickness, loss, strife and turmoil. At times it seems that we have no hope. If we are honest, there are even times when it seems that God is a million miles away. Sometimes in a moment of weakness we may question of God even cares at all.
As long as we live on this earth there will be thing that happen that we simply don’t understand. Why do we face constant financial struggles and can't seem to get ahead? Why do test results come back positive and our lives are changed forever? Why do marriages fall apart? Why do children suffer from incurable diseases? Why do parents have to bury their children? There are many things that we may never understand this side of Heaven. However, those of us who are in Christ can experience peace, assurance, and hope even when our situations seem hopeless.
God’s people facing times of great difficulty and hardship is not a new phenomenon. There was a time when King David was so overwhelmed by his troubles and the seeming lack of compassion and attention from the LORD that he cried out,
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? (Psalm 13:1-2)
Exodus chapter three records a time when God’s chosen people, the Nation of Israel were in bondage and enduring immense difficulty. There were many times when they questioned if God really cared about their troubles.
If we are honest there are times when we face troubles, trials and tribulations and we begin to ponder if God is there and if He even cares. Though troublesome times will come, our selected text makes it clear that God is indeed present and He does care about our hardships and difficulties. Furthermore, He is in complete control and He has a plan and a purpose for every tragedy that we face in this life.
The Book of Exodus chronicles the deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. The Exodus is actually one of the greatest miracles of God in the history of the world. Though the Israelites may have questioned God’s concern for them and they certainly were not happy with the timeline of events, Yahweh was in complete control of their situation and He had a plan for their deliverance.
Moses was faithfully tending to the flock of his father-in-law Jethro when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt. There is no way that Moses could have expected the amazing sights he was about to see, the voice he would hear, and the command that he would receive. This faithful shepherd was about to have an encounter with God that would change his life, and the lives of the Jews forever.
3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings…”
There are numerous lessons that we can learn from God’s deliverance of His people from their bondage in Egypt. We can find great encouragement form the fact that God sees our affliction, He hears our cries, and He knows our sorrows. Even more impressive than these specific realities is the fact that God not only sees, hears, and knows all about us, He cares enough to act in our best interest. I would like to join the Children of Israel for a little while today and consider the thought “Hope For Your Journey”.
- Let’s begin by considering the fact that:
I. GOD SEES YOUR AFFLICTION
v7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt… and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.
God knew exactly where His children were, He knew what they were going through and He knew why it was happening. If you belong to Jesus, you have been born into the eternal family of God. As a child of God you can rest assured that your Heavenly Father knows exactly where you are. No matter troubles you may be currently facing in this life, God knows what you are going through. And no matter how severe your circumstances or how intense your suffering, God knows why it is happening. Furthermore, in His infinite wisdom, the LORD has either allowed these things to happen to you or He may have even caused them Himself.
- Listen to what David said about the presence of the Lord in Psalm 139:1-8.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
No matter where you are, and no matter what you are facing. The Father sees your affliction and He knows what you are going through.
“He sees the heartaches,
He sees the tears;
He sees the burdens, ills and fears.
He sees the grief the worry and despair;
He loves His own and longs to carry every care”
- God sees your affliction, and as we move further into verse 7 we are assured that:
II. GOD HEARS YOUR CRIES
v7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.
Take a moment and consider the life of an Israelite. They were born into bondage, they lived their lives bound in slavery, they worked in almost unbearable conditions and their sons were likely to die at the King’s command. This was not a brief situation; God’s people were in the midst of this bondage for over 400 years.
Though we do not like to admit it, there are times when we know that the best thing we could do is to cry out to God in prayer, but like the Israelites we ask, “what is the point?”. Sometimes it seems as if prayer is a waste of time. In times such as this we must look back to all those occasions when God did hear and answer our prayers. When we do this, like the Psalmist we can say:
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles”. (Psalm 34:4-6)
God knew what Israel was facing, He saw their affliction, He heard their cries, and He saw every tear that was shed by His children. You may have been in the midst of extreme suffering for an extended period of time; if so, know that it has not gone unnoticed by the Lord. He knows all about it, He hears your cries and He sees every tear. If you belong to Him, you can trust that the LORD will hear your prayers and in His perfect timing He will respond.
- God sees your affliction, He hears your cries, and verse 7 also shows us that:
III. GOD KNOWS YOUR SORROWS
The Lord says in “I know their sufferings”
God knew about every strike of every whip in Egypt, God knew about the pain at the end of the day, He knew all about all of the sorrows and sufferings that were experienced by His people.
Likewise, our Lord knows of each and every struggle that we face in this life. He knows about the moments of uncertainty. He knows about our temptations and frustrations. He knows about our fears, our doubts, and every trouble and trial.
Furthermore, our Lord and Savior knows all about sorrow and suffering. Jesus came to earth as a man of sorrows and He suffered more than any other person in the history of the world. There will be times when you are suffering in such a way that it seems that no one understands or can relate to what you are going through. Trust me, whatever your issue, Jesus has “been there and done that”!
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
There is nothing that we will ever face in this life that Jesus has not experienced in some form or fashion. Knowing that He is able to sympathize with us and that He cares for us should motivate us to take our burdens to Him. As the Apostle Peter says, we can and should “cast our cares on Him, for He cares for us”.
Some of us have great friends in this life who want more than anything to console us in times of trouble and tragedy. But there are times when they just cannot relate to our current circumstances. They can sympathize but they cannot empathize. However, in those times when it seems that we are all alone, we have the amazing opportunity to turn to the Lord Jesus that we must turn for abiding sympathy and consolation.
- As the old hymn says:
I must tell Jesus all of my trials,
I cannot bear these burdens alone;
in my distress He kindly will help me,
He ever loves and cares for His own.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles,
He is a kind, compassionate friend;
if I but ask Him, He will deliver,
make of my troubles quickly an end.
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
Without a doubt, there will be times when we feel abandoned an alone, though we may not see Him at work or ever feel His presence, if we are His children we can trust that our Father is there.
Additionally, though there may be times when we are discouraged, distressed, disillusioned and even doubtful, God’s Word makes it abundantly leave that He care for us. We do not have to look any further than the passage that we are studying for proof of this fact. The LORD said to Moses in verse 8-12:
“I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
In these verses God moves from compassion to action. The remainder of this book shows us how the LORD delivered the Children of Israel from their bondage.
As amazing as the Exodus was, God has done something even greater for us. He sent His only Son to deliver us from the bondage of sin. No matter what we face in this life, our greatest tragedy has already been taken care of.
I pray that you possess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If not, I would love the opportunity to introduce you to Him today. Jesus is your only hope of true deliverance. He has already paid the price and done everything that is necessary to secure your redemption, deliver you from the bondage of sin, and provide you with eternal life.
If you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you belong to Jesus then you can face time of trouble and tragedy with great peace, assurance and hope. Never forget that God sees your affliction, He hears your cries and He knows about your sufferings.
Jesus said in John 16:33 “…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” I encourage you to look to the Savior when you are facing times of trouble. Search the scriptures, for in them you will find “Hope For Your Journey”.
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