"And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. Beautiful verse. God had seen and God had heard, as if their griefs had had two avenues to His heart. God sees not with eyes, and hears not with ears, as we do, but He speaks after the manner of men, and He says by two ways they had reached his very soul—'I have surely seen the affliction—I have heard their cries.' And then He adds, as if to show the perfection of His sympathy with them, 'I know their sorrows.' Now it is quite true today concerning us and concerning our God—He has seen, He has heard and He knows—'I know their sorrows.' When the sorrow is known, then God begins to work. He is no passive spectator of the misery of His chosen, but His hands go with His heart."– Charles Haddon Spurgeon[i]
This quote touched me deep in my heart. Wanting to know someone hears, someone knows, someone cares – that is not wrong. It is a fundamental human need, even human craving, put there by the One who hears, who sees, whose heart is broken with us.
I want you to know – me to know – today that He is there, has always been there, with you, near as your own broken heart. He was there when you cried yourself to sleep each night, when you picked the gravel out of your skinned knees all by yourself and made sure your snuffles were silent. "Don't cry. You'll make us feel bad." Your pain, your sadness, your kid-fears and your big girl-fears, your nightmares kept to yourself alone in the dark. Your longing for hugs and "I understands" and "It's OKs" that never happened. He has heard and He knows. He knows your sorrows. Lean on Him, rest in Him. Find all you crave in Him.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 (NLT)
The LORD is near … Psalm 145:18
[i] From a sermon published on Thursday, November 30, 1916, delivered by C.H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's-Day evening, April 21, 1872
