Exodus 2

God sees and breaks through

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. ~ Exodus 2:23-25

 There are times in life when it feels like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and our struggles go unnoticed. Exodus 2 reminds us that even in the silence, God hears, God sees, and God remembers His promises. The Israelites had been suffering under cruel slavery for years, yet God had already been working in the background to bring about their deliverance through the birth and preservation of Moses.

I remember a season in my life when I was overwhelmed and desperate for God to intervene. I had been praying for a breakthrough in a situation that seemed impossible. Day after day I wondered if God heard me, if He even cared about the heaviness I was carrying. What I did not realize at the time was that He was already putting pieces into place that would eventually bring me freedom. When the breakthrough came, I saw clearly how God had been orchestrating the answer all along.

This chapter speaks to us today. No matter how hard life feels or how long you have been waiting, God sees you and hears your cries. He has not forgotten you. Just as He remembered His covenant with Israel, He remembers His promises to you. Even when you cannot see what He is doing, He is working behind the scenes to bring you into the place of freedom and blessing He has prepared for you.

Here are some things you can do when you are waiting for your breakthrough:

• Keep crying out to God. Your prayers are not wasted, He hears every word.
• Stand on God’s promises in Scripture. His Word is your anchor when you cannot see the answer yet.
• Watch for small ways God may already be moving. Sometimes His work begins quietly before it becomes visible.
• Share your burdens with trusted believers who will pray with you and remind you of God’s faithfulness.
• Stay faithful where you are, trusting that God is preparing you for what is ahead.

Today I want to encourage you that God has not forgotten you. He sees your pain, He hears your cries, and He remembers His promises over your life. Trust that He is working even now to bring about His plan. Do not give up in the waiting. Keep pressing into Him and expect Him to move on your behalf.

Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 2

1 About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 

2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 

3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 

4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.

5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 

6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.

8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.

9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.

10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

Moses Escapes to Midian

11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 

12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.

13 The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight.

14 The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”

Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” 

15 And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.

When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. 

17 But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks.

18 When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?”

19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.”

20 “Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.”

21 Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. 

22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”

23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 

24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

Journal:

• What situation in your life feels overlooked by God right now?
• How does knowing that God sees, hears, and remembers encourage you today?
• Write a prayer asking God to strengthen your faith while you wait for His timing.