When God Shows Up

When God Shows Up

When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Exodus 4:31

IN WORD For years they had groaned under the weight of captivity. Slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were used ruthlessly (Exodus 1:14). Joseph’s leadership had long been forgotten by the pharaohs. The Egyptians had made the lives of the Israelites bitter with hard labor and oppressive social policies. It was, according to today’s verse, “misery.”

It’s no wonder, then, that they worshiped when they learned of God’s concern for them. Oppressed people often believe that God has abandoned them under the crushing weight of some unspecified judgment. They don’t know what caused His disfavor, but they interpret every burden as a sign of it. And when God demonstrates that He is, in fact, on their side, it’s a cause of great rejoicing. The thought that God might intervene renders Him immediately worthy of worship.

That’s a shallow sort of worship, but it’s still legitimate. We can hardly blame the Israelites for celebrating the favor of God when we do exactly the same thing. We, too, often interpret our burdens as signs of the judgment—or at least absence—of God. When He demonstrates that He is on our side, we rejoice. It had been true all along, but we weren’t perceptive enough to realize it. We worship our Redeemer, our Rescuer, and our Deliverer for no other reason than the fact that He has come to redeem, rescue, and deliver.

IN DEED That’s a good place to start. For anyone who has known the burden of captivity—to sin, to difficult circumstances, to oppressive relationships, to the heavy agendas of our own personal ambition or that of petty rivals—when God shows up, it’s time to celebrate. And when we really think about it, that’s the position of every believer. We once were lost, but now we are found. We once were blind, but now we see. We once were captive, but now we are running around freely as children of God. It’s a divine drama, and the Redeemer is the star. Let your worship always begin there.

My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

—CHARLES WESLEY