“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
— Philippians 4:4
Remember Miriam? She helped to save her brother from the cruel Egyptian pharaoh. When Pharaoh declared that all Hebrew baby boys were to be killed, Miriam watched her mother place her baby brother Moses in a basket in the Nile River, hoping that he would float to somewhere safer. Miriam followed the basket. When Pharaoh’s daughter found it, Miriam boldly stepped out of the reeds and said to the pharaoh’s daughter, “Do you want me to get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
Pharaoh’s daughter paid Miriam’s mother to take baby Moses home and care for him until he was old enough to live in the palace. Because Miriam spoke up, with God’s help, she was able to save her baby brother.
Years later, after ten terrible plagues, Pharaoh allowed Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the land God had promised them. But before they got very far, Pharaoh changed his mind. He wanted the Israelites back in slavery. His army chased Moses, Miriam, and their people to the Red Sea.
But just when the Israelites reached the water’s edge, something amazing happened. God separated the waters, and Miriam, Moses, and the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land.
Pharaoh’s army followed them. But when all the Israelites were safe on the other side of the Red Sea, God let the water go. The waves rolled in on Pharaoh’s men. Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and their people were safe.
Because Miriam followed God’s guidance when Moses was a baby, Moses survived to lead his people out of slavery. Even though our actions — like Miriam’s — may seem small to us now, they can have big consequences in the future.
Do you know what Miriam did next? She became a worship leader. Miriam praised God with her tambourine. And all the women followed her, playing instruments and dancing for God while Miriam sang a chorus:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.”
As a young girl, Miriam learned that God is faithful and just. She learned to trust God and to praise him. God is faithful to you too. Like Miriam, you can pay attention to God’s work in your life and worship him. Think about all the times he’s helped you, taken care of you, and blessed you. You can show your friends and family and the other people in your life how to be thankful and praise God.
More To Explore: Read Miriam’s story in Exodus 2:1 – 8; 14:5 – 15:21.
Girl Talk: What is one way you can worship God today?
God Talk: “Dear heavenly Father, you are so good to me. Thank you for your goodness, Lord. Please help me to develop a thankful heart. I want to praise you more. For Jesus’ sake, amen.”
From Real Girls of the Bible by Mona Hodgson