Nougat 29

So we recognize God sees our need. Yet there are those times when that doesn’t seem to be enough. Today’s Holy Nougat offers yet another Point necessary for Moses’ (and perhaps our) mobilization into purpose.

“Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.” Exodus‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is certainly good to have the Lord see our distress; and to know that God sees us (just ask Hagar, she will give chapter and verse). But it is equally important to realize that God hears us.

Of course, knowing that God hears us in our distress might colour the way we pray. For while we know that God’s Spirit intercedes on our behalf at the Throne of God, we sometimes wax repetitive in seasons of crisis. (I shared some time ago about how I was shouting as though God is deaf when God didn’t answer the way I wanted). What was also interesting to hear were the prayers we utter after having been disappointed. Do we really pray believing or are we simply repeating words with Zero expectancy of God’s positive answer?

The Children of Israel faced full scale abuse, harassment, and enslavement for centuries before God seemed to hear their cry. Yet they persisted in prayer. Moses was obviously not ready for the task, and it might have been a cause for the delay. The immediate takeaway is, when God calls us to a task, our delay could impact someone else’s breakthrough. God can use others but gives each of us chances to walk into our purpose. And of course we realize that when there’s a delay in our breakthrough, we probably need to pray for the ‘Moses’ to be confident of his call.

Of course, there is the underlying assumption that we have actually cried out to the Lord when distressed. It is important that we maintain a relationship with God that enables us to pray with the assurance that our cry for help is heard. God may respond to our heart cry, sometimes even before we cry out. But prayer, more so supplication/intercession, can be the point of deepening our relationship with our God.

Let us not get weary in talking with God. Our Goal Who sees and hears us. And having cried, listen for the answer.

—

May all we seek be found in Christ