Friday, February
21, 2020
It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. Hebrews 11:23-28[1]
There was something about their
child that was unusual, and it affected the way Moses’ parents acted. Unusual is the last word
we want to hear from the doctor that delivers our child, but Moses’ parents
understood that meant a sense of the divine had entered their lives. They were filled with faith to protect his
young life even if the king ordered otherwise.
And that attitude turned into the atmosphere of Moses’ life, a life of
service that defied the rule of earthly kings and pharaohs and followed the
still, small voice from above.
Faith hardly makes for an easy
life. Following the unseen
into the unknown means swimming upstream in even the
everyday routine of life. For most
people that is a challenge. It’s not
easy by any stretch; I find it exhausting!
We had a similar experience in
1980; we didn’t have a burning bush experience or any camels, but we packed up two
pre-teens and a toddler, two cars and a U-Haul with every bit of our worldly
goods. We moved nearly 600 miles to
seminary. I had quit my job, and we had
no idea how we’d earn a living while going through school. We didn’t know a single person in Louisiana,
and we hadn’t ever been west of Florida or so far from family. It was fearful, full of I-don’t-knows,
lots of doubt, and the adventure of a lifetime!
There were a lot of tears, some because of homesickness and fear of what
bill would go unpaid that month, and some because we saw so many ways God
blessed our lives.
Now, 40 years later, it is easier
to see with the eyes of hindsight some of the things I’d probably do
differently…but that’s not faith…that’s sight and human thinking. The fact that we followed the unseen
God into our unknown future…THAT
was faith! That was us being like Moses,
unusual children of the Most High God.
For
You Today
