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. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. (NIV)

What do you want for dinner tonight? Where would you like to go for a hike? Which movie should we see? What do you want for Christmas?

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If you’re like me, when I’m asked these questions, I often say, I don’t care. Maybe I’m feigning indifference or deference, or maybe I really have no opinion. I'm apathetic - I’m not engaged in deciding or acting.

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Thankfully, God is not apathetic. He is a God of action. Now, his timing may not be what we’d choose, but He is not indifferent.

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Thinking of the opposite of apathetic, I picture a child with boundless but also aimless energy. Sometimes kiddos seem like they are literally bouncing off the walls! Maybe you’ve got one or more of these energetic ones in your home as the holidays approach. So. Much. Energy. But energy doesn’t mean productive action.  

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Again, thankfully our God is a God of intentional action. He works and moves and engages and transforms for our good and with the desire to bring us from something to something better. Looking at our passage today from Exodus, we need to consider that the Israelites had been in slavery to the Egyptians for over 400 years. I’m sure that many Israelites would have thought that God was apathetic – maybe He didn’t care about them, He didn’t see their suffering, or He wasn’t able to save them.  

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But Exodus 3:7 shows us God’s actions. God had seen the misery and suffering of His people. It was in His view; He was aware; He was seeing. Not only had He seen, but He also had heard their cries. He was actively watching and listening, even during the times when His people didn’t think He was aware. He was concerned about them. All of these actions were taken on behalf of the Israelites while they were still suffering, feeling alone, and unaware that their God was for them. He was not apathetic, even though His actions were not when or what they expected.

Then in verse 8, things change. “So” is a great transition word! So, how about we go get pizza? So, let’s hike Baldy since the sky is clear, and we can see Denali. It signals a change and action!

God moves by coming down to rescue the Israelites, which is the plan He is setting in motion as He calls Moses in this passage, speaking to Him from the burning bush. But not only was God intervening, He was going to rescue His people from something for something. He didn’t plan to just have Pharoah treat them more kindly or pay them a better wage – no, God’s plan was far greater. He wanted to bring them out of their current circumstances and into something new and better.  

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As we enter the season of Advent – this time of the year in which we anticipate Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus our Savior – it’s a great time to reflect on God’s action. John puts it this way – “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave His only Son” (John 3:16, CEV emphasis mine). Our sin separated us from God – but God took action to save us by sending His Son as the payment. The best gift – the only gift we truly need!

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God is not apathetic – He is a God of action. He still wants to take us from where we are to new places of fullness and blessing.

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What does that look like for you this season? Where is God taking action in your life? Moses was invited to join God in this work of bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. Jesus invites us to believe in Him and be saved. What is God inviting me or you to join Him in right now? Are we listening and obeying? Are we confident that not only is God actively calling us out from something but that He’s also calling us for something? It’s easy to shrug and think maybe later. Worry, busyness, stress, procrastination – these are what we may be consumed with during this Advent season. But what if God is calling us into something different? Are we ready to take intentional action toward God’s calling?

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When you find yourself or someone you know shrugging this week and saying “I don’t care” - thank God that He is not a God of whatever but of intention. And when you see kids who are so excited as Christmas approaches that they are epitomizing random action, remember to thank God that His actions are for our good. Hopefully these simple reminders will keep our eyes open to the reality that our God is a God of intentional action!

God, I thank you that you are a God of action. Even when I don’t see you working in the space and time that I would choose, I can trust Your Word and know that You see, You hear, and that You are a God who is concerned. I ask that You show me how to follow You with actions and not apathy. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines or in the shadows. Help me to boldly step from where I’ve been to where You are calling me. Amen.