Where is God in your dark days

Pashous Father, bless us now as we turn to the word of God, and may the Word of God be the very food to our souls that we need in the Savior's name. Good evening. You have your bibles with you, would you open them to Exodus Exodus chapter two unless you open there? My goal tonight is to encourage my brother. When we gather. Oftentimes on Sunday evenings, it's a unique time for the people of God to be encouraged. It's a unique time for the people of God to pause in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle. Even of the Lord's Day. It's different because there's the hustle and bustle of the Lord's day. There are the people who go to church because it's the thing that we do, and you can have that all around you in the morning on the Lord's Day. But somehow in the evening it's different. Somehow in the evening when we gather, there is more of a sense of not obligation, not ceremony, but more of a sense of a recognition of the fact that we need God. We don't just need to tick a box that says I went to church. We need God. We need to sit before His word, and we need to be instructed, and we need to be encouraged. And so I want to do that tonight. I want to encourage my brethren. And one of the most encouraging passages in all of the Bible for me is found at the end of Exodus chapter two. The end of Exodus chapter two, we've had the introduction in Exodus, and there is this stark contrast between the end of Genesis, where God has revealed the identity of the Promised Seed and now the new leader of the people of God and Judah and his descendants, and now we come into Exodus and they've been protected. We understand now why Joseph went to Egypt. We understand why he was the second in command of Pharaoh, so that he could protect Judah in particular, but God's people in general. And now they've been protected. And all of a sudden, after having gone through everything they've gone through, and having been reunited and having been protected from the famine, we find them in Egypt and things aren't going well. And there's this great irony because there's a high point coming out of Genesis and an expectation of the promise to move forward, and the promise does move forward, make no mistake about it, not the way we think. We are introduced to an Egypt where the people of God are no longer looked upon favorably. We are introduced to an Egypt where the people of God are under attack. The sons of Israel are being pursued for the purpose of murder and having to be protected by midwives, and in the second chapter one of those sons is preserved. Now we know the rest of the story, so we realize that there is great hope. But understand something. If you are an Israelite, you have no idea that the birth of Moses has happened, let alone that it's significant. Just think about that for a moment. We read chapter two and we get encouraged. The Israelites would not have been encouraged. This was not an encouraging time. They haven't gotten that glimpse into the future that we've gotten. And at the end of chapter two we see this beautiful passage, that last paragraph there beginning adverse twenty three. During those days, the king of Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God, and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew if I had to title this message, it would be where is God in your darkest days? Where is God in your darkest days? And if you've lived long enough, you've asked that question. I don't care how saved you are. You've asked that question. I don't care how faithful you are. You've been in a place where there is darkness, and you've cried out to God and you haven't seen deliverance. You haven't seen a response. And in those moments, our natural tendency is to say, God, where are you? But that's the beauty of this text. If you look at this paragraph, it's really divided into two parts with a dividing line in the middle. If you look there at the first verse, that the first part of this is what's happening on Earth, and that's you and me in the midst of our trouble. Amen, And that's all we know. Unfortunately we don't get to see the second half. You get to read the second half in Exodus. And this is important. And the reason that this is important is because you and I, when we are going through our difficulty, when we're going through our dark days, we can't see what's happening in the heavenlies, but we know who's there, and we know how he responds to his people because of paragraphs like this. Amen, look at that first one again. During those many days, it's interesting. He just could have said during those days, but he didn't. During those many days, the king of Egypt died. People of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. That's all they know. That's all they know. There is instability in Egypt, and there is hardship for the people of God, and they're crying out and they know nothing. They don't know about the boy who's been born, they don't know about the plan that God is executing. All they know is things are unstable around us, Things are unfavorable to us. Horrible things are happening in our midst and we're crying out to God and there seems to be no response, no doubt, many in Israelite at this moment accused God of unfaithfulness to his people. No doubt, many in Israelite at this moment thought, we must have done something to cause God to turn his back on us. No doubt, many in Israelite at this moment thought, surely the gods of Egypt are too much for our God. No doubt those thoughts crossed their minds because they could not see the second half. And the second half is what is happening in heaven. God heard their groanings, God remembered as covenant. God saw the people, and God knew, But we can't see them. That truth be told. We can't feel that. We can't. We can't. We have to believe that. And in the middle between what's happening in heaven and what's happening on earth. Look at what's happening in the middle, their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God, saints, that's what's going on with your prayers. We are in the midst of difficulty, in darkness. We feel like we're abandoned and alone. We can't see what's going on in the heavenlys God is about his business, and our prayers are doing what our prayers are intended to do. Look at the person lying here of what's happening in heaven, and God heard their groanings. Here's what's amazing. When things are happening like this, our tendency is to accuse God of not having heard. But you know why we do that. We do that because we think so much of ourselves. In other words, I'm in the midst of my darkness and I pray, and I say God hasn't heard me. Well, why why do I say God hasn't heard me? Well because I asked him to do something and he didn't do it. Well, who do you think you are? Do you realize what's being said there? God must not have heard me, because when God hears me, when I jerk his chain, he does what I tell him to do. So if he had heard what I told him to do, we would know that he'd heard because he would have done it. By now, how arrogant we are, how arrogant we are to just assume that the proof of God having heard us is that God immediately does what we told him to do. Secondly, we assume that what we are asking God to do is in God's best interest, amen not realizing that there are times that I'm asking for something that is not best. My children are like this, and I realize I am as well. My children see things and they're going, Ooh, I want that, Daddy, can you get me that? And I'm thinking you'd die, you'd break every bone in your body if I got you that. No, I'm not going to get you that. Does that mean I haven't heard? No, No, i've heard. Amen, I've heard. But there's something else that needs to be done. There's something else you need that you are not aware of. I've heard. The other thing is, we don't think about things from God's perspective, only from our own perspective, and so we just assume God hasn't heard. The fact of the matter is we know God hears because we serve a God who speaks. Amen. We know God here is because we serve a God who speaks. Back home in Houston, well I say home home was Zambia. Now back in our old home in Houston. There's a radio station there. It's a contemporary Christian radio station, and it's eighty nine point three KSBJ. And right now they have this this new emphasis, this new theme, and their theme is God listens. And so all over town you see eighty nine point three and then God listens. Quite catching actually, and wonderful play on words. You know, there's a radio station and we're saying God listens, Well, let me hear what God's listening to. You know, I'm being clever. It's actually quite disappointing because part of this new emphasis involves people coming on the radio and saying, well, I know God listens because and you know exactly what he says. It's always subjective. I know God listens because I asked for this and this happened. I know God listens because I did this and this happened. I know God listens because, folks, we know God listens because God speaks. He is a God who speaks. He is a God who hears. I know God listens because the Bible says he does. Hey, man, that's the only way I know. That's the only way I know. It's dangerous to assume that because I want something and it came to pass, that means that God was listening. Sometimes I want things and they come to pass because of my disobedience. Sometimes I want things and they come to pass because God is about to show me that I didn't need that. Amen, somebody, God hears. God hears also please recognize this. There's an entire generation it's going to pass before the deliverance comes. Knows this is forty when he leaves, eighty when he comes back, which means that right now they're crying out, God hears, and a large number of them will be dead before they see the evidence of God having heard. But nevertheless, God heard sayings. Please don't miss that. Please don't miss that. You can die before your answer comes, and it doesn't negate the fact that God heard. God heard by the way. That's enough. That's enough. Oftentimes we neglect this, and we don't understand this, and we don't remember this because we think we deserve so much more than we actually do. But when you understand who you are and what you are, when you understand who God is and what God is, and when you understand that vast chasm between all of a sudden, you understand that just knowing that the God of the universe, who spoke the world into existence and who is upholding it with the power of his mighty hand, takes the time to hear you, that's a privilege. If God never grants another one of my requests, the fact that I can cry out to the God of the universe, and he condescends to hear me is a privilege in and of itself. It's a blessing just to have an audience with God. Amen. It's interesting. There are so many of us, you know right now. Everybody's celebrating in this part of the world. You know, the Queen's ninetieth birthday and so on and so forth, and it's not even a real queen anymore. Sorry, if you're offended by that. The fact that the Marys have a parliament over there, Amen, they have a parliament over there, and so she's a figurehead. And yet and you know everything, all the pomp and circumstances the queen. And you may say, well, you know, Republic of Ireland, the Queen's not a big deal for us. You can say that, but you and I both know. You get an invitation for an audience with the Queen, You're going, Amen, you do what you can. You can shake your head all you want. If that happens, you're going to go and you'll sit there and you don't do whatever. You'd just be happy to be in the room. Instagram, Facebook, everything else. I mean, that's the queen right there. Did you see I mean, and if she paused for a few seconds to just say hello. You may have thirty nine things that you'd love for the queen to do, but in that moment, you wouldn't ask for one of them. You'd be too busy being overwhelmed with gratitude that she thought enough to just come and say hi. And yet God, here's you. Then you act like it's not enough. I act like it's not enough. He's God, and he hears amen. Secondly, but at the next part of this, God heard their groaning and God remembered. But what did he remember? He remembered his covenant with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob. And here's where we need to evaluate our response. Here's where we understand why God may not be doing what you think that he's doing, but he's always doing what he's supposed to. He remembered. In other words, they're crying out to God. God is hearing, but God is not hearing because they're special people. You know, there's a tendency when we read Exodus, and the tendency is to read it like, you know, like the old Westerns, you know, where the good guys were, the white hats and the bad guys were the black hats. And we look at Exodus and we think, well, you know, the Egyptians they wear the black hats, and the Israelites they wear the white hats. Listen, the Israelites are wretched sinners who deserve death, hell and the grave. They are not good guys. There are no good guys in Exodus. Our tendency is to look and to say, well, well, because they're being oppressed. Here the oppressors are the bad guy, and these people who are oppressed, they're the good guys, and God is on their side because they are the pressed. This is liberation theology. By the way. Liberation theology argues that God is always on the side of the oppressed folks. Sometimes the oppressed are oppressed because of God. When Israel went into captivity time and again Jeremiah twenty nine, you know, I look, everybody reads Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven, and they want to make it their life verse. And I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, and give you a hope and a future. Yeah, back up to the first few verses and look there Jeremiah twenty nine to four, where in essence he says, you are in captivity here in Babylon, and I sent you, I sent you, and you're going to be here for a long time. So no, there is nothing inherently sanctifying about being oppressed. And if you continue to read Exo this, you're going to realize that Israel is full of bad guys. And if you read it in light of the New Covenant, you realize that not all of these folks are really Israel, which is why the ground opens up and swallows many of them. So God hears, but he doesn't hear it just because you know what, You're so pitiful, you're so desperate that you've got my attention. No, he says, I hear, and I remember what I remember. I remember the covenant I made with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob. God is faithful to God. God is faithful to God. And by the way, that's good news, because none of us deserves God to be faithful to us. And the only reason we can depend on the faithfulness of God is because we are found in him. We are found in the Covenant community. And God is being faithful to himself. God is being faithful to his word. God is being faithful to his promise. It is not that my prayers are so eloquent that God says, I'll answer those because they sound better than others. It's not that my prayers are so consistent that God says I'll answer those because they're more consistent than others. God is faithful to God. He's faithful to his promise. He's faithful to his word. And this is good news to the people of God, because the people of God know that He hears us because we're his people, and that He is always working things out. This is what romans he teaches us, isn't it? All things work together for good for those who love God, those who are called according to His purpose, All those are being conformed to the very image of Christ. This is what God is doing, and sometimes that's unpleasant. Novertheless, it's what God is doing, and it's what we want God to do, because therein lies the reality of our redemption. I am redeemed because I'm part of the Covenant community. I don't know what God is doing long term, but I know that I belong to the people that He is saving out of the world. So whatever it is, whatever it is, thank you, Lord. I may not even see it in my lifetime, but I thank you for it. I thank you for making me a part of the people whom you are saving. I thank you for being found in Christ. I thank you for the person and work of Christ by which I am redeemed. I thank you for his work on the Cross. I thank you that you have granted me repentance and faith, and that out of that I am now found in Christ, and that you see me through the blood of Christ shed on my behalf. I thank you that Christ is now my elder brother, and I am a fellow heir with Christ. And you hear, and you remember not because I'm a good guy wearing one of the white hats, but in spite of the fact that I'm one of the bad guys, and you've redeemed me. You've redeemed me. I wear a black height hat, and you've washed it water than snow through the blood of Jesus because of this alien righteousness that you've given me in making me part of your covenant community. This is what he's remembering. This is what he's remembering, and this is extremely important because as you continue to read through the Exodus, recognized there's nobody here being redeemed because they deserve it, and nobody ever has been redeemed because they deserve it. And look, God saw the people of Israel. God saw. This is so important. God saw. Oftentimes when difficult things happen, especially when they happen to us, we feel helpless and hopeless because nobody saw. Nobody saw what that person did to me, and they got away with it because nobody saw. Nobody saw what happened to me, And it's never going to be made right because nobody saw. God says, I see, I see and listened to me. Because perhaps you're here tonight in you don't believe that because here's what you say. I know that that's what it says right there. But if God really saw what had happened to me, there's no way he would have let it happened to me. There's no way that God could see that and let it happen to me, because if God loved me, he wouldn't have allowed be very careful right now, because this is the same God who saw his son hanging on a cross, his perfect, spotless, sinless son. So if you want to know where God was when that was happening to you. He was in the same place where He was when his son was crucified on your behalf. He saw, he saw, and you know what that means. Nobody gets away with anything. All things will be set right. Here's an amazing thing. Though my normal natural tendency is to think about that and stick my chest out and say, yes, they're gonna get theirs, Cause you know what that hulso means. God has seen everything I've done, m all the things for which I deserve his wrath, And the only difference between me and that other person is that his wrath was poured out on his son on my behalf. And it was not because I wasn't as bad. It was just sheer grace. That changes the way I view the injustices that happened to me, and it changes the way I walk afterward, cause there is a sense in which God's justice is coming. But an amazing thing happens when we understand redemption. God's justice is coming, and I want them to get what they deserve. God's justice is coming, and I want them to get what they deserve. Jochh God's justice is coming. I didn't get what I deserved. God, if it would, if it would give you more glory to save them, and pour out your wrath on Jesus for that thing, just like you've done for my sin. And so be it, because your glory is much more important than my vindication. Can you rejoice? Can you rejoice if God saves Pharaoh? Can you you realize some of the Egyptians left with them? Do you realize that finally? And God knew? God knew. This is a beautiful word in the Hebrew. God knew, somebody else knew. Adam knew his wife and the result of a child. God knew. This is a term of intimacy. This is a term of intimacy. In other words, God wasn't hearing from Afar. God wasn't remembering from Afar. God wasn't seeing from Afar. God was intimately involved with his people. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, our heart with me, not watching me, with me. God knew. God was with them in Egypt. Where was God? He was right there with you. He's with you. If you are in the midst of it right now, know this, God is in the midst of it with you. He's with you because you are his He's with you. What an amazing reality that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead duels us. Where is God in the midst of your darkest days? He's with you, hearing, remembering, seeing, knowing, redeeming, loving, Right there? Where was God you got that horrible phone call? He's with you? Where was God when the doctor walked in and found it hard to look you in the eye for a second because of the news that he was about to deliver? God was with you. Where was God when you lost your job? Where was God when you lost your child? Where was God when you lost your marriage? With you? With you? That's where he always is. That's where he always is. I don't know what you know from sayings, but here's what I know. I know that God hears, he remembers, he sees, and he knows. I know that. I know that. And I know that just as Christ endured the cross and was raised from the dead and brought glory an honor to his father and salvation to his people, that you and I, like him, will one day rise when it's all said and none in the meantime. Know this truth and know that it's enough let's right, Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Oh, how we rejoice in your presence, How we rejoice in your goodness, How we rejoice in your redemption. And even in the midst of our darkest days you hear, you remember, you see, you know, and that we are never alone, never forsaken, you, never slumber nor sleep. I thank you that you are in complete and utter control of all things, and that our redemption is secure regardless of our circumstances, In spite of our circumstances. That you gave your son for us, not so that you could abandon us before the word was through. But you have begot a good work in us. You are able, and you will indeed see it through to its completion. Grant by your grace that we might hold to this truth in hope, and that we might rejoice even in our darkest days. Grant this we pray Christ name, and for his. Sake we sing the sixty ninth Psalm together as we close Psalm sixty nine, and look at verse thirty three, in particular, for God the poor hears and will not his prisoners condemn that heaven and earth and seize him. Praise and all that move in them. As we've heard in the message this evening, the fact that God hears the greatest reason for praise for heaven and earth. To praise the God who hears the Psalm sixty nine will sing from verse thirty to the end of the Psalm. Let's stand scene on page one hundred and thirty six, the top of page one hundred and thirty six, the name of God, I with a. Song of God, with. The motion were bread thanks to him his namely. Miss Agra morera chop bro man more. Forbes. Not for. Who has. For man. Cho join. The choking, who. The same. Frecher for gop. Press come. Lad he see press lad be the. For goal. With things been. And was. Concern the. Made there in shows concy in. The us same. So Shad's blessed said, man, Father, we do thank you for what we have heard, and we thank you most of all that you hear, and that you know us even better than we know ourselves. Bless the means of grace to us for the rest even of this week. May we feed on these things, and may we learn to walk in the good and in the vitality of a life lived with God. And now the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the blessed fellowship and communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen.