What do you know?

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”
(Exodus 3:1-8)
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There used to be a competitive programme called “WHAT DO YOU KNOW?” which enabled competitors to show their knowledge by answering questions from vast areas of subjects. It was very relaxing, refreshing and educative as you listened to it. The competitor who answered the most questions correctly was adjudged to be the winner. As one followed the programme, it enabled the listener to determine how much he knew by trying to answer the questions.

As humans, our ability to know is limited or finite. Sometimes we forget something we knew in the past and we cannot also know what will happen in the future. As a result of our finite knowledge, we can draw wrong conclusions and thereby make wrong decisions. However, we have a God who is all-knowing and all-seeing. He knows the end from the beginning, and does not forget the happenings of the past. He is a covenant-keeping God.

This means that God knows everything concerning us, and therefore will respond to our needs appropriately. This truth about God should give us comfort and hope, even in our trying moments. In Exodus chapter 3, Moses had an unexpected visit from the LORD whilst he tended his father in law’s flock. The purpose of this visit is summed up in verses 7 and 8. Let us observe what the LORD said to Moses:

1. I HAVE SURELY SEEN THE AFFLICTION OF MY PEOPLE

2. I HAVE HEARD THEIR CRY

3. I KNOW THEIR SORROW

4. I AM COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM.

This was the LORD’S message to His people who were afflicted in Egypt. We are His people too because of our faith in Christ as our personal Saviour, and we are living in “Egypt”, which is symbolic of the world. God’s message to you today is that He has surely seen your affliction, your frustrations, fears, difficulties and distress. Remember God’s promise in Psalm 34:19

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”

Be encouraged because the LORD has seen the precarious situation you find yourself in. He will give you a surprise visit one of these days to attend to your needs.

The LORD has heard your cry. Be patient and wait for Him. He has bottled your tears as evidence of your cry or prayers to Him:

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” Psalm 56:8-9

He will answer your prayer when you least expect it. Never forget that He is a praying-answering God.

The LORD says to you, I know your sorrows. Beloved, the fact that the LORD knows your sorrows and pain should give you the assurance and hope that He will deal with that situation at the right time, His time. He will turn your sorrow into singing and your sighing into telling your new story of God’s goodness and mercies. The LORD says, I KNOW – what soothing, satisfying and sweet words that fall from the lips of a faithful and loving God!

Finally, the LORD says, “I am come down to deliver them…” It is not that He would come down sometime in the future, but He had already come down to deliver them. Beloved, the LORD did the same thing when, in the fullness of time, He came down to redeem us from our sins:

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:4-6)

Rest assured that He will come down to deliver you from your affiliations and sorrows, because He has HEARD, SEEN, and KNOWS. His timely response and deliverance will follow. It is a matter of time, and all will be well. Cheer up! Shalom.

OUR PRAYER
Oft-times the day seems long, Our trials hard to bear, We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair, but Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away. All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.

CHORUS:
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trails will seem so small when we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race till we Christ.

(Baptist Hymnal – Great Hymns of Faith 149 – WHEN WE SEE CHRIST)