The Cries of the People

In a year that started with so much promise, we now struggle at mid-year to see the power of God in the circumstances that have engulfed our society. As we have witnessed pandemic without precedence, and protests overshadow politics in our national conversations, we’ve asked where is God in all of it.

I am reminded of the story of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, whose great deliverance is the Old Testament story of their exodus from bondage. They spent years with the hands of the Egyptians upon their necks. They lived out this time with the Egyptians devaluing their worth and determining the future of their children. Nevertheless, it didn’t change the original plan that God had for their lives.

But everything changed with an assignment to Moses as depicted in the Third Chapter, Seventh Verse of Exodus when the Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out… I am concerned about their suffering.”

The Israelites… although circumstances didn’t appear to be indicative of a people who were promised a land of milk and honey, or a people who would witness the Lord parting the seas and sending manna from heaven…they continued to cry out to God. And although, it may have felt that the Lord was slow in answering their prayers, He heard them and began the plan for their deliverance long before Moses successfully led them out.

My word to each of you today is this – the Lord has seen the misery of His people and He has heard the cries. That’s all we need to know. That’s all we have to believe. That’s the word that we must stand upon. The Lord has heard the cries of His people.

Though discouragement may be pervading many of our neighborhoods and though we are witnessing a generation lead a powerful movement demanding answers, we can trust the promise that when the Lord hears our cries, a plan is put into motion.

This week, with each passing thought or each pressing question, remember that the Lord hears the cries of His people.

This week, when you hear of another instance that serves as evidence of a system that lacks understanding of the very real issues, speak to your inner person and remind yourself that the Lord hears the cries of His people.

This week, when you receive news that shakes your confidence or attacks your reality, scream to the top of your lungs that the Lord hears the cries of His people.

And this week, when you smile to keep from crying; when you bite your lip to keep from yelling; and when you walk away to keep the peace… hold your head up and press on just a little while longer.

I promise you, deliverance is on the way, because the Lord has heard the cries of His people!

I promise you, deliverance is on the way, because the Lord has heard the cries of His people!