God will NOT ABANDON US during TOUGH TIMES!
January 18 Bible Reading: Exodus Chapters 1-3
God will NOT ABANDON US during TOUGH TIMES!
The children of Israel living in Egypt were enslaved and afflicted by Pharaoh and the Egyptian taskmasters, and their lives became bitter due to the hard bondage set upon them (Exodus 1:8-14). Unable to bear any longer, they groaned and cried to God because of the bondage (Exodus 2:23b).
Exodus 2:24-25 takes us through the steps how God answered their prayers and still answers our prayers today.
- God heard their groaning and cries. Even today, His ears are always inclined to hear our cry. “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12a).
- God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In our case, God always remembers that we are His children, and He remembers His promises to answer us when we call upon His name. He has promised us in Jer. 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know”. Jesus has promised us in John 14:14: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”
- God looked upon the children of Israel. We have a similar promise in 2 Chron. 16:9a: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him”
- Finally, God acknowledged the children of Israel. When we cry unto the Lord, he will acknowledge us and answer our prayers.
In Exodus 3,
we see that God came down to a mountain called Horeb, appeared to Moses in a
burning bush and commissioned him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt
as an answer to their prayer. God revealed Himself as ‘I AM WHO I AM’ – as a
God who is there in the midst of their current need.
Remember, God hears our prayers and fulfills our needs as He did for the children of Israel. Let us go to our heavenly Father by faith today and petition to Him our pressing needs. He will not abandon us during tough times. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6)
