During our family devotional time yesterday, we read the story of the birth of Moses:

A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. When she couldn’t hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it.

Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile.The baby’s older sister found herself a vantage point a little way off and watched to see what would happen to him. Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the Nile to bathe; her maidens strolled on the bank. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it. She opened it and saw the child—a baby crying! Her heart went out to him.

She said, “This must be one of the Hebrew babies.” Then his sister was before her: “Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Yes. Go.” The girl went and called the child’s mother.Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me. I’ll pay you.” The woman took the child and nursed him. ~ Exodus 2:1-9

Something Special

Moses really was “something special.” The Bible tells us so! His mom saw his beauty and hid him so that he wouldn’t be killed.

When she couldn’t hide him any longer (I’m picturing the awesome, really noisy sounds that older babies make when they are learning to talk) she had a decision to make.

She could grieve the loss of a son once someone discovered him. Or, she could get creative and pray. I find it interesting that she technically did what Pharoah had asked – she put her boy in the Nile. But instead of leaving him to drown, she sets him up to survive.

She creates a special little “boat” for him to ride in down the river and his sister runs after him to try to make sure he’ll be okay along his journey.

It’s a good thing she’s there, because once Moses is found, his sister is ready. “Aw, he’s a cute baby, right?,” I can picture her asking Pharoah’s daughter. “I know you want to keep him, but should I get a nursing mother to take care of him for you?”

BRILLIANT, child. JUST BRILLIANT. Think about it: Just moments before, a mother let go of her child, not knowing if and when she would ever see him again.

Not a day had passed and here he was, back in her arms again, her milk still warm and ready for him in her breast.

Oh, and by the way, she got PAID to nurse him!!! It’s truly unbelievable.

Entrusting Our Children to God

As a mother, there will be many times I have to let my children go and entrust them totally to God. I’ll never forget when my first daughter was a little over a year old and my husband and I left for a trip to Haiti to help the victims of the severe earthquake there.

I left her with my parents for 8 days. It was only eight days, but it seemed like eternity to me when I held her in my arms for the last time before leaving.

We had never been apart for more than a few hours until then and I will admit I was anxious and afraid. Here I was going to another country that was in the midst of disaster, rioting, and large-scale unrest and handing over my baby girl to my parents for safekeeping.

I held her tightly in the dark nursery room, rocking her and crying. I felt the gentle whisper of God’s Spirit comforting me, “Trust Me. I will take care of her. Don’t be afraid. Learn to entrust her to me now when she is a child. Don’t wait until she’s older and leaving your home. Put her life in my hands.”

God Cares for Our Children

God is so faithful. God took care of Moses. God took care of my baby girl, too. I remind myself regularly that my children do not belong to me- I have dedicated them to the Lord and they are ultimately His.

We as parents are stewards of these beautiful little people. Our words and thoughts, our training and actions have a lasting impact on their minds and hearts. But we cannot control their choices or their future.

Let’s take a moment today to thank God for our precious children and to dedicate them afresh to the Lord.

To open up our hands before God and say like Hannah, “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”