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.”

Exodus 3:7

The Israelites were enslaved and mistreated by the Egyptians for 400 years. Four hundred bitter years of pain, anguish and shame. Four hundred years of wondering: Where is God? Why does God ignore us? Why has God abandoned us?

And then God speaks to Moses from a burning bush: “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.” Despite all their doubts and fears, God had been there the whole time. He had seen their misery. He had heard their crying out. He cared about their suffering.

We must know this about God. He is the God who sees, the God who hears, the God who cares.

We can identify with the suffering of the Israelites. In our lives, there are times of pain, fear and anguish. At times, we too wonder: Does God care? Does God see? Has God abandoned me?

We must turn to Exodus 3 and read again that God is the God who sees our pain, the God who hears our crying out, the God who cares about our suffering.

So don’t give up. Never give up. God is right there with you. We don’t understand his delays, but he’s the sovereign God, and we don’t understand all of his ways. We may not understand, but we must know: He is right there with us. He sees, he hears, he cares.

Moreover in the very next verse we see that God rescues. “And I have come down to deliver them” (3:8).

That’s my God. That’s your God. The God who sees. The God who hears. The God who cares. And the God who rescues.