January 36 Ready to Hear?

Ready to Hear?
Read Exodus 1-2

Exodus 1:14 They (Egyptians) made their (the Hebrews) lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.

400 YEARS have passed since Genesis. God has expanded his nation to nearly 2 million people in Egypt. Was that a mistake? Now they are slaves. Should he have put them in a place where they would have been treated more favorably, even in abundance and luxury? After all, they are the LORD’s people!
Jacob and his family were in Canaan, the place where the Hebrews would eventually settle. Why “waste” 400 years of hardship in Egypt?
It’s always good to walk carefully when we ask God, “Why?” We must not pretend or assume our ways are better than his. But, in the attitude of humility, asking God, “Why?” can lead us to understanding him more clearly.
So, we humbly ask God, “Why Egypt?” “Why slavery?” When we look throughout the bible, we can discover that one answer, to our dislike, is that God often puts people in a position where they desperately need him before they pay attention to him. One place to discover God is in our brokenness. I suspect that if the Hebrews were prosperous, they would ignore God. But they were in need, and they were ready to listen. He had a BIG change planned for their lives.
If you are in despair, and life is tough, God wants to free you. He may have allowed your situation because he needs your attention. When you seek him, and when you are prepared to trust his response, he will speak to you to bring great change to your life. Are you ready to hear him?


Pause and Consider: Be still and listen for His voice.