The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people

The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey". Exodus 3:7

I once was in the middle of an extremely chaotic situation and was attempting to figure out a solution. I couldn't seem to get my mind focused sufficiently to properly analyze the situation and develop a promising plan. A friend of mine opined "It's hard to remember you came to drain the swamp when you're up to your hips in alligators!"

Very true. Often life seems that way...even for good people who have done nothing to warrant the stress. King David once said "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all". (Palm 34:19) Most of us know the first part by heart; The righteous person may have many troubles. It's the second half of the statement that we often lose sight of.

I believe we already know why remembering the promise of deliverance is so difficult in times of trouble. When God asked Adam where he was, Adam said "I was naked". When God asked what Adam had done Adam said "The woman you gave me..." When God asked Eve if she had eaten the forbidden fruit she said "The serpent deceived me".

Lots of "I's" and "me's"...

Looking inward is no way to overcome trouble. All it does is magnify our discomfort and encourage us to do anything...often the wrong thing...to escape our problems. . In fact, James tells us in his epistle "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). My personal experience says James is referring to our most common prayer; "Why, God?", as though God must justify himself to us. A better prayer might be "what now, God?"  It allows us to concentrate on the way forward.

1 Peter 3:12 says "the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer".

This is a confirmation of what we read in Exodus 3:7. But, we only seem to remember the promised deliverance if our hearts and minds are focused on the deliverer, not on the problem (ourselves). The Children of Israel, while in Egypt, had the spiritual sense to cry out to God for deliverance and...God heard them. Even more, He said "I have come down to deliver them".

This life is a swamp and some day we will be delivered. Until then, why battle the alligators? Its a fight we cannot win. We have a far better solution. "If we know that God hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:15). So..."do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". (Philippians 4:6)

And...let God drain the swamp...

Live boldly out there today...