Things God Remembers
Read It Aloud: And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of their bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them (Exodus 2:23-25).
Ponder it Prayerfully: Nothing in this realm lasts forever. In chapter 1 of Exodus, we are told that the Pharaoh who knew Joseph and under whom Joseph had served, was no longer in power. Now, we see that the next Pharaoh passed away, too. The Pharaoh Moses would confront was also going to die in the Red Sea.
The children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage. They were in a strange land and they were slaves. The Lord heard their groaning. Their cry came up to God, even though we are not expressly told that it was directed at Him. This shows that the Lord is concerned about all of us and sees all our struggles. He is merciful and hears the cries of the oppressed, whether they know it or not.
The Lord then ‘remembered’ His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The covenant was never forgotten in the first place. This verse just reminds us that despite the struggles of the Israelites, the Lord’s word still stood and remained. He was still going to do what He promised Abraham – to give him many children in a beautiful land, and to bless all the earth through him (Genesis 12:1-3).
God had respect unto the children of Israel. This means that the appointed time had come for the Lord to move on behalf of His chosen nation. He had been watching them all along, protecting, guiding even despite their struggles. From the time that Rachel cried with travail at the birth of Joseph, through his time in the pit and the palace, through to his death and the miraculous preservation of baby Moses, God’s plan had been unfolding in the unseen realm. It was now time to manifest Himself on behalf of His children, in ways that the eyes of men would see.
Be a Doer (James 1:22): The Lord sees your struggles and mine. He remembers His promises to us. He moves on our behalf, but at the appointed time. He selected Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt; therefore the children of Israel could not leave Egypt until the Lord had prepared Moses and honed his skills to the point that he was ready to be a leader. Before things begin to show in the physical, there is a lot of action in the spiritual. Regardless of what it looks like, God sees our situations and hears our groanings. He remembers His covenant and is getting ready to move on our behalves.
Hide It In Your Heart (Psalm 119:11): So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Pray It Personally: Father in heaven, You are the Awesome God. You heard the groanings of the children of Israel, and You heard and hear mine whenever I am in trouble. Thank You for using Your mighty power to move on behalf of those You love. Thank You because it is not the wicked, but Your word, that will prosper. Be glorified in my day and in my life, and help me to be continually encouraged, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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