Reading: Exodus 1–2
Do you groan? Are
you groaning? God hears groaning. Paul tells us that the whole
creation is enslaved by the corruption or depravity in the world (Rom
8:21 NASB). Presumably the creation is enslaved by the wickedness
done upon it by the wicked. Not only the creation itself, be we too
groan. We groan while we wait (Rom 8:23). In context, we might
conclude that we groan because of the wickedness done to us and to
others. (See also James 5:4-8.)
The Israelites
groaned also. They had been subjected to slavery and with that,
all that slavery entails. Their lives were full of oppression and
misery. Injustice proliferated. None of that could stop the
Israelites from multiplying. In fact, the more oppression, misery,
and injustice they experienced, the more they multiplied and grew
(Exo 1:12). So Pharaoh commanded that all Hebrew boys born be killed.
However, the Hebrew midwives feared God more than the king and didn't
obey (Exo 1:17).
All of this led to
Moses being adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and out of Pharaoh's
coffers, Moses' mother was compensated for nursing her own child.
Decades later, Moses is in the wilderness, the people are still
suffering, and they are groaning. Groaning because of their forced
labor, because of the injustice of their oppressive condition, and
they cried out for help to God. God heard their groaning and their
cry for help.
During
that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites
groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for
help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard
their groaning and he remembered his covenant with
Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. (Exodus 2:23-24)
Do you groan? Are
you groaning? If not, why not? Is it because you have nothing to
groan about? Consider the lives of the innocent being snuffed out
daily in our own cities through abortion (Pharaoh is still at work!).
Consider those being abused or suffering the scars of such abuse.
Consider those with debilitating illnesses, or unloving husbands, or
wandering children, or alcoholic parents.
Truth be told, there
is plenty to groan about. We must cry out for help to God, for God
hears such cries. Far too often, however, we are inadequately
informed as to how to pray and feel inadequately able to pray for
these kinds of things. We just grieve. Sometimes we try to ignore the
grief because we don't know what to do with it. Sometimes we
acknowledge it but don't know how to pray.
But there is someone
else who will help us pray. Not only are we groaning inwardly
about these things, but we do so because the Spirit of God within us
groans in ways that not even words can express. He helps us to
pray when we know not how with this groaning (Rom 8:26).
“But,” you
say, “What good will it do to groan, if I still don't know what
to say?” Don't worry! God understands groaning. He
knows the mind of the Spirit within us and He answers according to
the very yearning in our hearts for it is in accordance with His will
(Rom 8:27). So, pray. Pray, and don't be afraid that you don't
know exactly what to say. Bring your voice to God with cries for
help. And when you cry for help, God will hear.
Love the Gospel, Live
the Gospel, Advance the Gospel,
Jerry
