Sometimes, I forget that the Bible is a book about real people who really lived.

I am currently obsessing over the children of Israel as they left their days of slavery behind.  They had endured much while in Egypt.  They had, undoubtedly, prayed for deliverance many times over.  They must have stared at the skies wondering when help would arrive.

Then, the Lord sends them a message of love.

I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery.  I will redeem you with an outstretched arm… I will take you as my people and I will be your God… – Exodus 6:6-7

God heard their cries and He answered them.  The problem?  They had been beaten down for so long that they could no longer allow themselves to hope for freedom.

When Moses tried to deliver this message of deliverance from Yahweh, the people did not listen to him because of their broken spirit (Exodus 6:9.)

They were a broken people and, in their brokenness, they were no longer willing to listen to God.  They no longer expected Him to move and they no longer trusted Him to save.  They had resigned themselves to lives of slavery and pain.

The amazing part?  Their refusal to listen did not stop the redeeming arm of the Lord.

I feel like God is eerily silent these days.  I wonder if, in my brokenness, I am just refusing to listen.  I want to expect Him to move in mighty ways.  I want to believe that His hand is not too short to save and His ear is not too deaf to hear.

I’m ready to listen, Lord.