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In the opening verses of Parashat Shemot, we learn that Yoseph (Joseph) dies and Pharaoh decides to enslave the children of Yisrael (Yaakov) because they feared the multitude of people the children of Yisrael had become.\u00a0 The Scriptures say Shemot \/ Exodus 1:13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; 1:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on <\/em>them. (NASB)<\/span>\u00a0 Though the people were placed under hard labor, enslaved to Pharaoh, they still had hope in the God of Yisrael and obeyed God rather than Pharaoh.\u00a0 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. (NASB)<\/em><\/span>\u00a0 The people waited, in the midst of their bondage in slavery, for answers from the Lord. The process of waiting can either isolate or unite us, tear us apart or bind us together.\u00a0 Waiting on the lord for answers to prayer can cause serious problems in our lives if our hope is not focused correctly.\u00a0 Have you become dispassionate, less obedient, and neglected the pursuit of God\u2019s presence in your life and His promises as a result of not having had answers to your prayers?<\/p>\n