The Fear...

As you can tell, I've been a bit busy lately writing some devotionals. I thought I'd share some of them with you over the next few days. Enjoy!


Written for Lifeline Devotionals / May 2009

The Fear of the Nile
Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 1:22


What is your biggest fear?

Come on; be honest. What is it really?

Is it an absolute fear of spiders? Maybe it’s the idea of being trapped someplace with no help around. Is it heights – loneliness – crowds? Could it be sick children, loss of security, death?

I think if we stop and think hard enough, we could all agree that we each have a fear of some sort. Maybe it’s a completely irrational fear…maybe it’s very realistic. Whatever the case, I think that most of us would admit…the things that we fear are the very things we would try to avoid at all cost.

As I’ve meditated on the story of Moses’ humble beginnings this week, a thought gripped me that I have never before realized.

My entire life, I had heard the story of Moses’ birth and safe-keeping in the bulrushes. It was probably one of the very first stories that many of us heard in childhood. And yet, despite the many times I have heard this story, I missed one very important detail. As a matter of fact, in preparing for this week I actually read this story at least 10 times before this little fact even jumped out at me.

Are you on the edge of your seat yet?

Here goes…

Exodus 1:22
“Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: Throw all the newborn Israelite boys into the Nile River.”

Did you get it? Did you catch that?

Not yet? It’s okay, I missed it the first time too.

Well then; listen to this and see if it comes to you:

Exodus 2:3
“But when she could no longer hide him, she got a little basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile River.”

What about now? Do you see it?

What is the common denominator in both of those passages? THE NILE RIVER!

Never before had I thought about that simple fact.

During this time, with Pharaoh dictating the death of an entire young culture of people, the Nile River represented all things bad to the Israelites.
Think about it. The exact same river you would go to daily to gather water and bathe in is also the same river where you were forced to throw the newborn son whom you had carried for 9 months!

I imagine that if it were me, the Nile would be a brutally vivid representation of sadness, grief and despair in a time of complete uncertainty and near hopelessness.

And yet, what did Moses’ Mother do?

When told that her newborn son would have to die, she determined that she would fight this “destiny” to the bitter end. She hid him for as long as humanly possible and when that became unrealistic, she made a decision that changed our history.

She faced the very waters that represented certain death and she lovingly placed her beloved son in a basket directly in those waters!

Think about it! She could have put Moses anywhere! The local doctor’s home…the town centre, the courthouse…anywhere!

Instead she took him directly to the waters where she had undoubtedly seen death and she placed him in God’s hands in that very water.

Wow.

And so I ask you again…what is your biggest fear?

It is not always the case, but I think it’s safe to say that God often allows us the opportunity to come face to face with our fears.

As Moses’ Mother knelt on the edge of that Riverbank and placed her precious son into those waters, she taught each one of us a lesson…

God can be found in many, many ways…sometimes it may even be through facing the waters that we dread the most. After-all, it is often through those times that we find our faith tested and our endurance strengthened.

What fears may God ask you to face today?