Ex 3:6-10 “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. 7 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; 8 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. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
There’s something that happens to the atmosphere when people praise the Lord. We are made in the image of God. That means that the way we were crafted, created, we have eyes, ears, a mouth, a heart, the way we operate is in the image in the way He is and operates and moves and understands His environment.
God is not a man, not flesh, not human. The only time was when He was in the body of Jesus Christ. Today, God is Spirit.
God speaks. His voice created the whole universe. The Word of God is the most powerful thing in the universe. The things that we see are not made with things that appear. Seen things were created with unseen things.
Our voice has power. Something happens when you use your words. Your words can pierce or heal. Your words can build up or tear down. There is something about your voice. The thing that creates motion in the natural world and the little tube and the hairs in the ear, and synopses in the brain and something happens in an unseen place in the unseen world. There is power in words.
Some words are more powerful than others. There are levels of words, base words, cuss words, carnal words, words designed to cut and to hurt. There are words that bring encouragement.
Sometimes, you can communicate without words. You can communicate without words at all. There is a place in your spirit that in silence can scream to the Lord. Maybe it’s only a single tear. God hears that cry.
Luke 19:41 “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”
Jesus wept because the city rejected Him.
The Lord told Moses that He had seen the oppression. He heard their cry. God knew their sorrows.
It is heartbreaking to let a newborn just cry it out, especially in the night.
Something moves the heart of the Father when there’s a disruption upon His children. David cried to the Lord and He heard it and delivered him. God hears your cries and delivers.
When God hears your cry, He starts to formulate a plan to stop your tears. A parent may not know why their baby is crying, but God knows why you’re crying and He knows how to help you.
There is a list from the devil that causes you to stay in your affliction.
When Jesus was in the garden before the Crucifixion, His friends fell asleep.
Mat 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 6:48-49 “And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:”
The last watch of the night was the darkest. The disciples saw Jesus, but it creeped them out. They didn’t recognize Him right away. They cried out.
Sometimes, you read the Bible and something stops you and you have to ask, Why? Jesus was walking towards the disciples and would have passed them by. Jesus was going on His journey. He didn’t need a boat. Jesus was available, but if they didn’t need Him, He would just keep walking. If you want to do it without Me, I’ll just keep going.
Mat 6:50-51 “For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.”
In your distress, you can cry out and be delivered.
Over and over the Israelites were in bondage because of sin, when they cried to the Lord, He delivered them.
Judges 3:15 “But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.”
God hears your cries in the night. David walked with God, ‘This poor man cried and He heard me.’
There is a time even when words can’t be formed. God hears the cry and desperation of your heart.
Jonah slept in the boat. The last place you want to be when you’re seasick is the bottom of the boat. In the belly of the whale, Jonah cried out. For three days, he didn’t know which direction was Jerusalem. In his spirit, he turned toward God and cried out.
It doesn’t matter where you are, God wants you to know He hears the cry of your heart.
A man called Blind Bartimaeus, called that because he was blind. The Son of David was the Messiah. He would open the ears of the deaf and cause blind men to see. He knew that when Jesus came by, he just needed to cry and then God would heal him.
Mark 10:46-52 “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. 49And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
1 Kings 9:3 “And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
Psalm 145:19 “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.”
Psalm 34:4,6,17 “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”
Psalm 55:17 “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
Psalm 28:6 “Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.”
Sometimes, it feels like your prayers, your cries hit the ceiling and bounce back and the frustration builds and you cry. That is full of information. People may not understand, but God hears and understands. God is full of glory and power.
James 1:2-4 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
God judged all the gods Egypt worshipped. The Old Testament calls them plagues, the New Testament calls them wonders. The Egyptians used to kiss the Nile River. So, God turned it to blood. The worshipped crocodiles because they kept the frog population down. So, God multiplied frogs everywhere. The frogs didn’t bother the Israelites. Pharaoh asked Moses to ask God to get rid of the frogs. Moses asked when. Pharaoh said, ‘Tomorrow.’ Why wait?
When do you want your deliverance? Do you want to continue another night with frogs? You have an opportunity for deliverance.
What causes hunger? Lack of food. Children are honest enough to say to Daddy, ‘Wahhhhh!’ Birds peep. There’s a pain going on causing them to be hungry. When do you want that pain to go away? Your answers are found in the Spirit.
More Questions for Personal or Group Study:
- What are some early memories of a parent or teacher or caregiver comforting you? How has Jesus comforted you?
- How do you KNOW that God hears you and will deliver you? How can this knowledge help someone else?
- Read Philippians 4:6-8. Do you ‘let your requests be known to God’ the way it says in these verses, with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving? How does your outlook on life change as you choose to think in this way and ‘on these things’?
- Knowing that Jesus hears you and will deliver you, how are your thoughts and attitudes changed? What still needs to change?
Excerpted from a sermon preached by Pastor Anthony LoCascio.
If you are looking for an Apostolic Pentecostal church and are in the Chicagoland area, come check out The Life Church located at 3030 Central Road in Glenview, IL. Services are Sundays at 1pm and Wednesdays at 7pm. We would love to see you there!
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