On any given day you can find headlines that make you wonder what God is doing in the world. In the last few weeks we’ve seen wildfires in the western US, flooding in Europe, Genocide in Sudan, suicide bombers in Iraq. Any thoughtful person has to ask, Where is God in all of this.
Moses must have wondered many times the same question as he thought of God’s people enslaved and mistreated under the Godless Pharaoh of Egypt. And one day as he tended the flocks God himself came to answer and to let Moses know what He was doing in the world.
This is an easy outline—We’re just going to look at each of things God says He’s doing in verse 7 and then skip ahead a few verses to do the same.
God Sees
v. 7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt.”
It’s easy to wonder if God Sees
Mark’s Gospel records that during the storm Jesus saw them from afar off.
God Hears
v. 7 “I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers,”
Have you ever been in a place where it seemed like your cries to God went unanswered? when you wondered if He heard at all?
I believe God even hears the cries of those who don’t know exactly who to cry out to. In Acts, a Roman named Cornelius cried out and God sent Peter to him.
God Cares
v. 7 “…and I am concerned about their suffering.”
As we survey the suffering in our own lives and that of others, sometimes our faith is shaken. We wonder about God. And if we believe that God is all powerful we are left with one ringing question: Is God Good? Does He care?
Corrie Ten Boom wrote: “Often I have heard people say, "How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’" Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. "No, Corrie," said Betsie, "He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: ’For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.’" Corrie concludes, "There is an ocean of God’s love available--there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love--whatever the circumstances."
No matter what it may seem like God Cares. So what Does He do?
God Sends
v. 10 “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
This may not get the Hallelujahs of the other three but here in black and white is God’s plan, the way he reaches out to a suffering world: He calls us and sends us to be His hands extended.
God Sees the plight of the Orphan in China, hopeless and destined to live out her days in poverty and spiritual darkness. He sees the successful businessman you went to high school with who has achieved everything he wanted but aches with the emptiness of it all
God hears the cry of the single mom who lives down the street from you whose frustration and despair has her on the brink of taking her own life. He hears the cries of the refugees in Darfur, dying from disease and hunted like dogs by their enemies.
God Cares about the Muslim who knows no other way but goes to bed each night with a gnawing doubt thinking there must be more. He cares about that barefoot and filthy kid next door who seems to have no supervision and no hope for the future.
And because He sees, Because He Hears, Because He cares, God Says to you “GO NOW, I am sending you to bring them out.”
Sometimes we act as though we expect God to wave some magic wand to solve the problems of the world and rescue the perishing, but there is no magic wand but us.
The hope of the world is sitting in this room this morning, the redeemed army of God, the Church of Jesus Christ. Hope does not come from some other place and if we do not answer the call of God There is no hope.
Like Moses we have already begun to make excuses—But I don’t speak well, what if they won’t hear me, I’ve got sheep to take care of, But Moses was God’s only plan for the Israelites.
God’s mandate to us is clear. As God said to Moses from the bush, Go Now. As Jesus said in His great commission Go. He wants the world to know He sees, He hears and He cares so He says, Go Now.
*With thanks for outline idea to missionary to Chile, Jim Mazurek
