He Hears and He's Working

Had an extremely interesting scenario last night. I was so encouraged from my devotions last night, but at times when I was reading I kept hearing things moving in my room. As I'm hearing these creepy noises, I'm thinking: "Hmm...." I didn't think it was really something. As I knelt on my bed praying before I closed my eyes to sleep, I heard something again. I thought: "Okay, what in the world?" I finished praying, crawled into my bed, and tried to sleep. What followed was the sound of something plopping down on my bedroom floor.....literally. My thinking now, you may ask? "Alright, that's it!" I stood on my bed, flipped on the light, and there beside my bed...almost about to pounce on my bed might I add...was the most hideous, slimiest, grossest tree frog. (Those words are not even grammatically correct, but they were all I could think of.) If you know me, you know that tree frogs are just about more than I can handle. Needless to say, thanks to the hero I have in my dad, he's gone. I have no idea how he got there, but I can assure you that I will be checking to make sure he never returns. :) I must have laid in my bed laughing for five minutes afterwards at the ridiculous scene.

Well, anyway, now I want to share with you some things that I learned last night. Let me ask you something? Do you ever feel as if the things you pray for are just forgotten by the Lord? Do you ever feel as if He has overlooked your plea for help?

The Israelites sure felt this way. Within their burden of slavery, I'm sure these people wondered if they would ever taste freedom again. Exodus 2:26-25 states:

"Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So 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 acknowledged them."

Within the devotional book entitled "Hope," Nancy Guthrie made a powerful statement about this passage. She writes:

"There was no way for them [the Israelites] to comprehend that God's plan for deliverance was already in motion when Pharaoh's daughter pulled baby Moses out of the river. They couldn't see the burning bush hundreds of miles away as God called and began to prepare Moses to lead them out of Egypt."

How neat is that perspective? Even though they felt forgotten within their current suffering, God had long been preparing for their deliverance. Man....that gives me chills.

I flipped over to Nehemiah 9:9-31. If you have a chance, read it. This passage of the Bible gives an account of the numerous ways that God provided for the Israelites. Even in the midst of their cries, suffereing, rebellion and disobedience, He did not abandon them. He had compassion on them and provided for their needs. Verse 19 stood out to me.

"But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. "

AMEN! I was thinking over the ways that God has provided for me. Sometimes I was not even able to see the ways He was providing for me. Think over your life. What are some ways that He has been providing for your "deliverance." This thought caused me to dwell on the faithfulness of God and His goodness towards me. I may not understand the ways in which He works, but I know that all is intended for my good. Even as I sit here today, I did not imagine being where I am at this present time. My plans were different. Yet, I am thankful because I know that God has led me every step I have taken. He has been providing, He is providing, and He will continue to provide for me and for you.

Maybe you are in the midst of suffering at this very moment. Maybe it is hard for you to dwell on His goodness because you feel forgotten. Perhaps you feel as if your prayers and pleas for help fail to reach Him. Oh dear one, you are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. You are loved, you are cherished, you are redeemed. He has called you by your name. All His promises are true. He walks the way with you, guiding your every step. Isn't that a wonderful promise? I encourage you to keep seeking Him in His Word and daily in prayer. He does hear you. Cry out to Him.

Psalm 40: 1-5a: "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who trust in the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal...."

Lord, we praise you for what you do in our lives. May we never forget the ways you have provided for us in the past. And may we look forward, trusting that You will indeed provide for our every need, giving us hope for the future.

Hannah Grace