In today’s passage, a Levite family is given a very difficult situation to work through.  They have a beautiful baby boy and desire to love and raise him just as God would intend.  However, they were left with little option to do so.  The Egyptians, if they would find the baby boy, would certainly have taken him and thrown him into the Nile as they had been commanded by the Pharaoh.  The baby boy would be sure to die.  Once the family realized they could no longer hide him, they had to make a choice.  They knew that God did not want the child to be murdered, but they also knew that if they kept him with the family, he would be found and destroyed.  Therefore, they took it upon themselves to place the boy in the Nile, but in a special way.  The mother made a special little floating basket for her baby and had the boy’s older sister place him among the reeds along the banks of the Nile.  This allowed the baby to remain afloat and to not be taken with the current of the water.
     In God’s perfect plan, a princess of Egypt came to bathe in the river at just the right time.  And Miriam, Moses’ sister, was brave and opportunistic as this situation developed.  As soon as she saw the princess take pity on the baby, she quickly sprung to action and suggested allowing the baby to be nursed by a Hebrew woman for the princess.  This allowed for the baby to be adopted by the princess but to be raised for a short time longer by Moses’ own mother.

Try to forget for a moment that Moses would become the man of God to lead Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land…

     This was a lose/lose situation for Moses’ biological family.  The baby boy was either going to be killed by the Egyptians, or he was going to be given a chance for survival by the building of a floating basket, but without any knowledge of what would become of him.  Neither of these options are really good ones.  This is what happens in a world under the curse and consequence of sin.  The family of Moses had to make a choice they felt would best follow what God would have them to do, but they were not looking forward to someone else raising their son either…it was just better than his death.  They sought the Lord and desired for God to intervene in what seemed like a hopeless situation.  
     Are you in a situation today which seems hopeless because of the sinfulness of this world (which includes us)?  I cannot possibly give an answer for every life situation which may be represented in the reader’s of this post.  But, I can tell you this.  Whatever our situations may be, we must look to the Word of God and see what He would want us to do.  We must strive to do what would please Him most.  Sometimes this is a scary thing and the outcome looks gloomy regardless of what happens.  But, when we trust God’s Word and do what is right, we can rest in His sovereign will and  take some comfort in knowing that He will work all these things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.

Easy to say on a blog post…hard to live by.  The strength we need for these situations can only come from God.  Praise Him for his enabling power and the comfort of His Spirit.

Be encouraged today to do what is best and to trust God with the rest!