The last three verses of Exodus 2 emphasize God’s loving care for humans. Four verbs highlight this truth.
God hears, God remembers, God looks (considers), and God knows (is concerned).
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cry for help rose up to God from their slavery.
God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them (Exodus 2.23-25).
The Power of Tears
I believe the most powerful prayer is not an eloquent appeal of a religious professional. Rather, the tears of a hurting heart are the most effective of all.
The cries and groans of Hebrew slaves “rose up to God.”
Paul described the power of heartfelt and passionate prayer for God’s assistance.
He wrote, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.
And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8.26-27).
I recently heard a man tell about being homeless and living in the woods for 10 years. He reached “rock bottom” one night and cried out to God. At his lowest point, he didn’t know how to pray, but he looked to God as best he could.
The next morning, he was awakened by two police officers. One said, “Aren’t you ready to get out of here?”
That morning, he left the woods and entered treatment. He has been housed and sober for nearly a year.
God hears, God remembers, God looks (considers), and God knows (is concerned).
God Remembers
God promised the all of the patriarchs what he said to Jacob.
God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall spring from you.
“The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you” (Genesis 35:11-12).
The children of the patriarchs had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years. God heard how they groaned and cried out under the oppressive rule of the Egyptians.
He remembered the promise and put into action a plan to fulfill his promise.
Romans 8.28 is often quoted and printed on greeting cards.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8.28).
No matter what the circumstances may be, people who love God and are aligned with his purposes trust that he is at work in their lives.
Romans 8.29 connects the assurance of God’s provision with the promise that God will fulfill his commitment to his children.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family (Romans 8.29).
To the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, God said in essence. “Things are going to work for your good because I will work with you to fulfill the destiny I have for you.”
The same is true for us today.
God Looks and Knows
What started with a cry and a groan was met by God’s care. God hears, God remembers, God looks (considers), and God knows (is concerned).
For years, I have told people that God knows where you are. He knows your hopes and dreams. He cares about your hurts and grief. He is on your side.
Whether God is dealing with Hebrew slaves or what is happening in your life, the witness of the Bible is that God deeply cares about every issue you face.
Whether you can put your concerns in words or not, your heart cry reaches the loving heart of God.
YouTube Video
While this article centers on three verses, Rudy Ross and I fully discuss the chapter on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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