EXODUS 3:7

The Lord said, “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."

TO PONDER

One of the biggest criticisms of God that you tend to hear out there in the world today is, "How can a God who is supposed to be loving allow such suffering?"

It's a good question, and not one that I'm sure I have a very good answer to. However, I think there is one assumption behind that statement which is inaccurate and which today's verse directly addresses is that God might not even be concerned about human suffering.

Here in Exodus, we encounter a God who discloses to us his own concern about the suffering of his people. A concern which stirred Him into action, through Moses, to rescue his people. In fact, many theologians talk about Moses as a messianic foreshadowing of Jesus and the deliverance and freedom that Jesus would deliver to God's people. And that's the point I want to draw to your attention today. God has done something about human suffering, his answer was, and is, Jesus.

Jesus, who suffered death in our place so that we could live, and live in relationship with God the Father. Maybe we still experience struggles and suffering in this life, but through Jesus death and resurrection, God has opened up a means for us to join him in eternity where He has promised there will be no more tears or suffering or pain.

Our suffering may not be over yet, but you had better believe God cares and has done something about it.

PRAYER: Lord God, you don't need me to defend you, but help me to be ready to explain what you have done about it, to those who have come to mistakenly believe, that you don't care about the suffering of people. Help me to share how knowing you and your promise of an end to all suffering, helps me to deal with the suffering I see around me. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle