Tuesday June 20, 2023

Today is Tuesday, June 20 and we are studying what the Bible says about God our Help.

As I enter this time of prayer, I pause and become still. I slow my breathing and focus myself on the God who loves me – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, guide me on this pilgrim journey. Make me attentive to your ways, teach me your will, strengthen my steps and lift my spirits as I travel this day with you. Amen.

I cry out to my Lord and Savior with the words of Psalm 18.

The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:4-6

Pause and Pray

It is God’s nature to hear. God is listening to the cries of the world. God hears. Some may doubt that. If a person has prayed prayers that God did not answer, prayers for rescue out of a bad situation, prayers for healing or help and none arrived, there may be doubt that God hears. I imagine the Hebrew slaves felt that way too. They had been crying out to God for release from their captivity for generations. Groaning under the suffering cruelty at the hands of the Egyptian taskmasters. When the king of Egypt died and a new king came on the throne, the change in regime did not prove beneficial for the slaves. They cried 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. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Exodus 2:23-25

The story of captivity in the Old Testament book of Exodus is an integral part of the Judeo-Christian faith story. This is my story. Whatever is going on in my life, I can find my story in this story. There are many forms of bondage in today’s society, for believers and non-believers alike. We may find ourselves victims of oppression or cruelty.. We may be witnesses to human suffering or unjust violence. Perhaps we are enslaved to addictions, imprisoned by depression, shackled by illness, trapped in unhealthy relationships, suffering with chronic pain or bound in debt. All of this prevents us from living the lives God has for us. I cry out. I groan in my suffering and raise my petition to God.

Ask: Do I believe God hears my cries? Do I hear the cries of others?

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord, I recognize my poverty of spirit and places of captivity. I groan in sorrow for the areas of my life where I am prevented from living more fully. I cry to you for help with confidence that you hear my cries. Have mercy on me, Lord God. Look on me with favor and come to my aid. Do not delay. I read the words from Exodus again and listen for the message you have for me.

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. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Exodus 2:23-25

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Other people may not hear my cries, but God hears. The Hebrew word used for “hear” in this sentence is sama. It indicates more than the concept of physical hearing; it means to notice, take heed of and hear with an inclination of response. Another action word in this verse is “remember.” I can be certain God remembers his promises to me. Even as I wait for God to answer, I can be confident God remembers all my prayers. The last action verb of God is “concerned.” The Hebrew word means to have compassion and express empathy. God understands my suffering in a way that he suffers with me. God hears, remembers and is concerned for me.

Pause and Pray

Thank you, Lord God, for hearing my cries, remembering my suffering and knowing my pain. I have faith that you hear my prayers and are with me in my troubles and concerns. I continue to lift my petitions to you, confident of your great love for me. I trust you are already beginning to work good into my life and set me free from whatever binds me. Amen.

I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Exodus 3:7-8

I leave this time of prayer confident of a God who hears my cries, I go to listen attentively and respond to the cries of others.

Amen