IMO: You Deserve to Be Happy - Friday


Exodus 3:7
The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” (NIV)


We can go to two extremes when it comes to thinking about our happiness. We can selfishly think that it’s all about us and get upset when everything doesn’t come together exactly how we want it to. We begin to doubt God’s goodness when our thoughts become, “Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Then why didn’t He answer my prayer?”

On the other extreme, we may think that God doesn’t care at all about our happiness. We begin to doubt God’s provision and presence when our thoughts become, “God isn’t concerned about me. He has bigger things to worry about than me.”

We addressed the first extreme in the devotional yesterday. Today, let’s tackle the other lie that we often believe: “God isn’t concerned about me.” And let’s replace it with the truth: God sees you. God hears your prayers, and God is concerned about your suffering.

One story that reminds us of this powerful truth is the story of Hagar in Genesis 16. Hagar is pregnant, mistreated, and has run away from home. God sends an angel to meet her out in the desert, and Hagar recognizes that this angel is giving her a message from God. Hagar responds by addressing God as El Roi, which means, “The God that sees me.

We also witness God seeing and caring for His suffering people in the book of Exodus. We read in Exodus 3:7 that God saw the Israelites’ misery, He heard their crying, and He was concerned about their suffering. God then promised to rescue His people and bring them to a good land, flowing with milk and honey.


Friday’s Reflection

Read Exodus 2:23-Exodus 3:12. Underline each statement that shows God’s care for His people. I’ll get you started with the first three: God heard, God looked, and God was concerned.


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IMO: You Can Fix Yourself - Monday

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IMO: You Deserve to Be Happy - Thursday