CONFIDENT HOPE DESPITE FEAR

And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.  So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.  But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.  And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.  Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.  And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”  Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother.  Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.  ‎And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”  (Exodus 2:1-10)

This world is no longer a paradise.  It can be a downright dreadful place.  Death reigns because of sin, and the fear of death is the King of Terrors. 

Why would someone want to bring a child into such a world?  It isn’t a good time to raise a child in this hostile environment we may think.  But, it never has been, and certainly was not a family friendly era when Moses was conceived.

This gives to us AN ILLUSTRATION OF A PARENT’S HOPE.  Pharaoh had felt threatened by the growing number of Hebrew slaves—and decided to make the population manageable by killing every newborn son.  Despite this, Amram and Jochebed had a son and hid him.  They saw something in him and sought to spare him, even at the risk of their own lives.  They had hope that this child might be a hope-bringer—and indeed he was!

This leads to AN IMPARTATION OF A PARENT’S HOPE.  Moses had a hope planted in his heart by his mother and nurtured in his childhood.  He was a special child who had been spared from death for a special purpose.  Not even an Egyptian education and pagan environment could take that hope from his heart—that someday God would use him to help liberate his Hebrew brethren. 

One of the most important things we can do for our children is give them hope!  So many are bombarded with bad news that they ask, “What’s the point?”  No wonder so many adopt the old philosophy, “Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”

The future for the child of God isn’t to be marked by fear and a sense of futility, but by faith and hope!  Who knows but what that baby boy or girl may be the next Moses or Miriam and help multitudes find freedom from sin and death.

I think of the discussion of Gandalf and Frodo in the movie, Fellowship of the Ring, where Frodo is burdened by the evil of the times and the weight of his mission. 

Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Embrace hope and express it to your children and grandchildren!  Tell the teens!  There is evil at work in our world as in ancient Egypt.  But, there is another Force at work in this world—the Spirit of God—and that is an encouraging thought!