Usually when I take time off over the summer months, I choose a book of the Bible to read through. I love grabbing a large cup of coffee and taking my time to read, study, think, and reflect for my own spiritual nourishment.

This summer I chose the book of Exodus. We are all familiar with snippets from this ancient book; such as Moses and the Red Sea, but I want to share some simple thoughts from chapters 1 and 2 that I hope will encourage you. 
 

In Exodus 1:8 (The Message) we are told, "A new King came into power in Egypt." I’ve been pondering on this phrase for a couple of days thinking about how leaders come and leaders go, and how they rise and how they fall.

We can usually detect what type of leader a person will be, simply by how they treat people. In fact, by the time we arrive at the next verse we learn about this particular King's leadership. We are told he spoke to "his people" about "those people" and declared that "there were way too many Israelites for them to handle." He was determined to do something about that fact. Clearly, this particular leader was beginning to feel threatened by the growth of the Israelites.
 
Notice how insecurity crept in.
Notice how jealousy crept in. 
Notice how fear crept in.
Notice how a competitive spirit crept in.
Notice how scheming and planning crept in.
Notice how oppression eventually crept in.
 
Pharaoh was determined to hold onto control and power.  One thing we learn from this magnificent book is that great leaders champion others — they do not oppress. And so unfolds one of the greatest stories of how God steps in and comes to the rescue of His people who are suffering.
 
In chapter 2, we are introduced to another leader, Moses, the one who God would use to rescue his people. But I want to hone in on verses 24 & 25. We read of how the Israelites continually cried out to God and we are told:
 
God listened
God remembered
God saw
God understood
 
While the people cried out to God and waited on Him to rescue them, He was already present working through the midwives, through the birth of Moses, through Pharaoh's daughter (who adopted Moses) and so on.

The Israelites were not aware that the ‘one’ (God) whom they cried out to was already raising up the ‘one’ (Moses) who would rescue them. Simply put, God was working while they were waiting.
 
So often life can catapult us to a place of desperation and pain causing us to cry out to God. Never doubt that God is working in the background. Know that in your pain, fear, uncertainty, questioning, doubting, and hardship, He listens, remembers, sees and understands. 
 
He is working while you are waiting.
 
You do not go unnoticed. God sees you. He will come to your rescue!