Exodus 2:23–25 (ESV)
During those many 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.
These verses might be brief, but they carry so much weight. Israel’s suffering has gone on for years. Generations have lived and died in slavery, crying out under the weight of their burdens. And then finally, the text says, their cry came up to God.
That doesn’t mean He hadn’t been listening before. It means that now, in His perfect timing, He moves to act. Their pain reaches the appointed moment of His mercy.
I love the verbs in this passage. God heard. God remembered. God saw. God knew. Those words tell us everything we need to know about His character. He’s not distant. He’s not indifferent. He’s near, attentive, and faithful to His promises.
When it says God “remembered his covenant,” it doesn’t mean He had forgotten. In Scripture, when God “remembers,” it means He’s about to take action. He’s about to fulfill what He promised.
That’s the turning point of Exodus. After all the suffering, silence, and waiting, finally God moves. Deliverance begins, not because Israel earned it, but because God is faithful to His covenant.
And that’s still how salvation works. We don’t cry out to a God who’s indifferent; we cry out to One who already knows, who has already acted in Christ. Just as God heard Israel’s groans, He hears the cries of everyone trapped in sin, shame, or fear. And just as He sent Moses to lead His people out of bondage, He sent His Son to bring us out of ours.
There’s something so comforting about that final phrase: “God knew.” It’s simple, but it’s everything. He knows what’s happening. He knows their pain. He knows His plan. And He knows exactly when to step in.
Maybe you’re in a place right now where it feels like your prayers aren’t getting through. This passage reminds you: they are. Your groaning doesn’t go unnoticed. God hears. He remembers. He sees. And He knows.
Prayer
Father, thank You that You are not far from our pain. Thank You that You hear the cries of Your people and that You act out of covenant love. When we feel forgotten, remind us that You never lose sight of us. Teach us to wait on You with faith, trusting that Your timing is perfect and Your mercy sure. We praise You for Jesus, who came because You heard our cries and remembered Your promise to save. In His name we pray, Amen.