By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  09/05/20

Choosing Christ Above All Else

Study of the Life of Moses

09/02/20 – 09/09/20

Read Exodus 1:22-2:10.

Many people don’t know what to make of Moses’ mother placing her son in a basket on the Nile. Without understanding the situation properly, it can seem reckless—cruel even. But this was not a careless act. It was a calculated move. Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, trusted the Lord, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t strategic in their actions. They diligently worked out a careful plan. They thoughtfully prayed. And so, when they could no longer hide their son, Jochebed placed Moses’ basket at the right bend in the river at just the right time.

It wasn’t a coincidence that the basket drifted near to the place where Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing. It wasn’t a coincidence that at just the right moment, Moses’ sister Miriam was there to suggest a suitable wet nurse (Jochebed herself). Amram and Jochebed trusted the Lord and took a calculated risk. Letting go of the basket must have been one of the hardest things that poor mother ever had to do, but she knew she wasn’t just leaving Moses to the river; she was placing him in God’s hands.

Miriam got a front-row seat to her mother’s tremendous faith, and one day Moses got to hear the story as well. Parents, I encourage you to practice your faith in front of your children. Be an example of extraordinary trust in the Lord. Your God-honoring choices and actions will teach your kids far more than all the words you will ever speak.

Prayer: God, help me live out my faith before my family so that they can see how trustworthy You are. Deepen my faith for Your glory. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“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 placed it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:3).