“But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”
— Psalm 31:14 – 15
Picture this: You’re a Hebrew girl. You and your people are slaves in Egypt, which is a foreign land. You get married and have a daughter and two sons. One of your sons isn’t even old enough to roll over yet. Now imagine that the pharaoh in Egypt orders all Hebrew baby boys be killed. He doesn’t want any more Israelites around who could grow up and fight him. Pharaoh tells his people to throw all the boys born to Hebrew women into the Nile.
The tiny bundle in your quivering arms — your son — is a Hebrew baby boy.
That was real life for Jochebed.
Jochebed’s daughter Miriam and son Aaron both kept quiet about their new baby brother. But the baby was growing and making more noise. Jochebed wouldn’t be able to hide him from Pharaoh and his people much longer.
So one day, Jochebed wove a basket out of papyrus and coated it with tar and pitch to waterproof it. She kissed her baby boy’s soft cheek, tucked him into the basket, and clutched it as she walked. Praying, Jochebed asked God to protect her son’s life. And then she set the basket in the reeds along the bank of the Nile River and told her daughter Miriam to watch.
Jochebed’s walk home must have been tough. Her baby was too little to take care of himself, but this was the only way she could think to save him. Would God provide a way for her son to live?
At home, while Jochebed cooked over the fire, she continued to pray for her baby. Then she heard Miriam’s shouts.
“Mama, Mama, hurry. Come quick.”
Frightened, Jochebed hurried back to the Nile river. Nearby, she saw the pharaoh’s daughter holding the baby.
Pharaoh’s daughter named the baby Moses and paid Jochebed to take him home and nurse him until he was old enough to live in the palace. God saved Moses from certain death. And he provided a way for Jochebed to be close to her son and care for him until he was older.
Behind the scenes, God worked out his plan for Jochebed, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. God does the same thing for you. You may not always see God or hear him or even feel him at work in your life, but God is there. And like Jochebed, you can trust God to work through your circumstances for his purposes, which are always best.
More to Explore: Exodus 2:1 – 10
Girl Talk: How might God be working behind the scenes in your life?
God Talk: “Dear God, thank you for being with me always. You know what’s best in every circumstance. You’re faithful to provide what I need. Help me to trust you always. Amen.”
From Real Girls of the Bible by Mona Hodgson