Forming a relationship with God
In Shmot 2: 23-25 we read:
During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died and B’nai Yisrael groaned because of the work and they cried out (vayizaku). Their outcry (shavatam) due to the work went up to God. God heard their moaning (na’akatam), and God remembered His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchak and with Yaakov. God saw B’nai Yisrael; and God knew.
Due to their difficult situation, B’nai Yisrael prayed to God. Because of their prayers, they are finally redeemed.
The Maharal (Gevurot HaShem 54) explains:
The person screaming out to God is doing so through pain as they are going through a difficult situation. They become closer to God.
When we pray with kavana (intent) for something that we desperately want- such as pleading on behalf of those who are ill or beseeching God for the safety of our soldiers and hostages- we should feel the pain, cry out and work on building a relationship with God.
When B’nai Yisrael were in Egypt, they waited until they could no longer take the pain- until Pharoah had died- and then they finally called out and God listened to them.
The ideal situation would be to build a connection with God when times are good rather than waiting for difficult times to finally make contact. In that way, a relationship has already been built and it is much easier to ask for what we want, rather than coming from out of the blue.
Despite the fact that B’nai Yisrael did not have a relationship with God at that time, He still answered them and redeemed them.
May we see good times ahead where we can form a relationship with God, not because we are in a desperate situation, but rather because we want to feel God’s presence in our lives. May we see the return of all of the hostages and healing for those who have been affected by the fires in California.