God Sees and Hears Us

God heard their groaning, and God remembered his 
covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

— Exodus 2:24-25 (NRSVUE)

A while ago, I was talking to a relative, but I wasn’t sure that she was paying attention to me. When I asked her if she was, she said, “I am seeing and hearing you.” Sometimes we might wonder if God is paying attention to us, but scripture assures us that God sees and hears us constantly. 

When the people of Israel found themselves living a hard reality in Egypt, the Bible says that God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that God looked upon the children of Israel and took notice of them. In this story, God not only sees and hears the Israelites, but God demonstrates the fundamental qualities of faithfulness and mercy as well. 

As God’s people were suffering the ravages of slavery in Egypt, it would have been easy for them to think that God had forgotten them. Exodus 2:23 says, “The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out.” Deprived of their freedom and basic human rights, their suffering was great. Though many of us cannot personally relate to the Israelites’ experience of slavery, today, people in parts of the world still live in situations of immense oppression where they are denied their most fundamental freedoms. 

We currently find ourselves in a time when the social, political, economic, and environmental landscapes are unclear. What’s more, it seems that there is an increasing indifference toward loving God and our neighbor — two ideas that are at the foundation of our faith. I think this leads to an even greater uncertainty about what the future holds and paints a discouraging picture of spiritual decline. 

Like the people of Israel, we might start to think that God has forgotten us. But in turbulent times, we can remind ourselves that our cry goes out to God, and God hears us. God remembers God’s covenant with and love for us. God not only hears us but, as scripture says, God takes notice of us. 

What does this recognition of us mean? It means that the God who created us knows who we are, down to the most intimate fiber of our being. God knows our circumstances, our reality, our fears, and our conflicts. God hears our moans and our cries. God is faithful to us and does not abandon us. 

Sometimes I hear expressions of resignation from people who think that our world is going from bad to worse. Such a belief saddens me. Instead, I like to imagine that we are floating in an ark over seas of turbulence and suffering but still being cared for by our Lord. I have faith that one day the waters will recede, and we will be able to contemplate the light of a new day full of hope. 

In this new year, may we look toward the future with hope and the certainty that our God sees us, listens to us, and recognizes our suffering. May we also see and hear the cries of our neighbors and do what we can to help them. God walks with us and can lead us out of the most difficult of circumstances.

Questions for reflection:

1. When have you felt that God does not see you or hear you? What was that experience like? When have you felt that God does see you and hear you? What did this teach you about God’s presence?
2. What does the message “God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them” mean to you? In what ways does it encourage you and give you hope?
3. How can we see and listen more attentively to those around us? What spiritual practices help remind us that God will never abandon us?

— Jorge L. Berríos, 
Editor of El Aposento Alto

The Upper Room, Spanish-language edition