By Carmen Miller
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
—Exodus 2:1-10
This verse just does something to my heart every time I read it. Jochebed was a woman of God. She was used greatly by God because she was so faithful. As a mother I don’t know how I could have kept it together, as I watch my precious baby float away in a basket. But her faith, trust and fear in God was much greater than anything else.
Take a moment with me and just imagine, loving something or someone so much and having to let it go. I imagine how torn up she must have been. Today, as I read over these passages, I find myself asking, “What, in my life do I need to surrender?” It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone you love. It could also be something in your life that you hold dear, but just can’t let go, although it is something you must do.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you love something, let it go.” That’s what this story reminds me of. She loved her baby boy so much, and knew the only way to spare his life, was to surrender him. Although it does not go into depth, her love for her son, we are aware of it in verse 3, “. . .she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch.” The Life Application goes on to confirm, “This tiny basket or ark was made of bulrushes, or papyrus reeds, and was fashioned by a woman who knew what she was doing.” From that, we can assume she was a loving and caring mother who made certain her baby would remain safe and sound in this basket, made with so much care, until he would be found. Jochebed feared God more than man, and for that she was blessed by God when He returned her child right back to her for a season. She trusted in the Lord, and His plan and purpose for her and her children. I bet she never imagined her son would grow to be a mighty man of God who would later become a deliverer of His very own people!
What, in your life do you need to surrender to God?
Do you have faith that He has a bigger plan and purpose for your life?
Are you ready to place those things in a basket and fully surrender it all today?
We don’t look at situations like our Father does, and we don’t know what the future holds for us, like our Father does. But when we surrender to His will and trust in His promises, we find that He will always come through for us. He clearly tells us this in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Let’s fully surrender those things we love so much to God today and watch as He pours blessings from Heaven on us.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
—Exodus 2:1-10
This verse just does something to my heart every time I read it. Jochebed was a woman of God. She was used greatly by God because she was so faithful. As a mother I don’t know how I could have kept it together, as I watch my precious baby float away in a basket. But her faith, trust and fear in God was much greater than anything else.
Take a moment with me and just imagine, loving something or someone so much and having to let it go. I imagine how torn up she must have been. Today, as I read over these passages, I find myself asking, “What, in my life do I need to surrender?” It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone you love. It could also be something in your life that you hold dear, but just can’t let go, although it is something you must do.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you love something, let it go.” That’s what this story reminds me of. She loved her baby boy so much, and knew the only way to spare his life, was to surrender him. Although it does not go into depth, her love for her son, we are aware of it in verse 3, “. . .she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch.” The Life Application goes on to confirm, “This tiny basket or ark was made of bulrushes, or papyrus reeds, and was fashioned by a woman who knew what she was doing.” From that, we can assume she was a loving and caring mother who made certain her baby would remain safe and sound in this basket, made with so much care, until he would be found. Jochebed feared God more than man, and for that she was blessed by God when He returned her child right back to her for a season. She trusted in the Lord, and His plan and purpose for her and her children. I bet she never imagined her son would grow to be a mighty man of God who would later become a deliverer of His very own people!
What, in your life do you need to surrender to God?
Do you have faith that He has a bigger plan and purpose for your life?
Are you ready to place those things in a basket and fully surrender it all today?
We don’t look at situations like our Father does, and we don’t know what the future holds for us, like our Father does. But when we surrender to His will and trust in His promises, we find that He will always come through for us. He clearly tells us this in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Let’s fully surrender those things we love so much to God today and watch as He pours blessings from Heaven on us.
