Many, many years later, the Israelites still lived in Egypt. A new
Egyptian pharaoh had made them into slaves, but the number of
Israelites continued to grow. So the evil pharaoh ordered that all
Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile River!
One Hebrew mother could not bear to drown her beautiful baby boy.
So she wove a sturdy basket in the shape of a tiny boat, and
covered the outside with pitch and tar to make it watertight. Then
she kissed her baby and set his basket afloat in the reeds along
the Nile River. This was where Pharaoh's daughter bathed each day.
Later that day, the princess heard the baby's cries in the reeds.
"Bring me that basket," she said to her handmaidens. The baby's
sister, Miriam, waited nearby. "Poor little thing," said the
princess. "He must be a Hebrew baby."
"Shall I fetch a Hebrew woman to care for him?" asked Miriam
hopefully. The princess agreed, and Miriam ran home and got her
mother. The baby boy was spared! And his very own mother took care
of him.
"I shall name him Moses," said the princess, "for I took him up
out of the water." And she raised him as her very own son.
A Bold Woman
Moses' mother loved her baby so much that she refused to allowed her child to be destroyed - no matter what the king's law said. She showed great faith in God by placin gyoung Moses in a basket along the edge of the Nile. How hard this act must have been for Moses' mother!
Yet, it is clear thet her faith in God was stronger than her fear of the Egyptian king. Do you sometimes feel frustrated by the evil in our world, not knowing what to do to overcome difficulties? Don't give up. Ask God to show you what to do and to and to give you strength to overcome tough times. Remember, you are not alone.
God Never Forgets His People
God knew his people were suffering. In fact, he had predicted these events when he told Abraham that his descendants would become objects of the Egyptians hatred. God had also promised that he would rescued his people at the right time.
God doesn't always anwer us at the moment we cry out for help. Sometimes, we must endure pain or difficult times in order tos trengthen our faith and build character.
When you feel God has forgotten you, remember that he doesn't do things according to our schedules. God is in control and he wil work things out.
