Jochebed was the mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Her story is told in Exodus 2, but her name is not. We know her name because she’s listed in the genealogy records of Exodus 6 and Numbers 26. When her story is told in Exodus, Jochebed isn’t mentioned by name. I love that her name isn’t given, that she’s “just a mom.” She represents all of us unseen mamas who are raising our children for God, praying for them, believing God to keep them, protect them, and lead them. Her example of courage and faith can serve as an encouragement for us today.
Jochebed was alive during a very dangerous time for God’s people. Her life was not easy. She was a slave in Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at the time. Her own life didn’t belong to her, nor the life of her children. When she was pregnant with her third child Pharaoh, king of Egypt, made a decree that all the newborn male children of the Hebrews were to be thrown into the crocodile-infested Nile.
I try to imagine how this young mama must have felt. The joy of being an expectant mother was swallowed up by the looming death of her precious baby. For nine months you carry a baby wondering if it will be a boy or girl, praying for a miracle, dreading the thing that must be done if it is indeed a boy; hiding your pregnant belly as long as you can, from as many people as you can, for as long as you can.
If she accepts this fate for her child, if she does exactly as those around her do, his death is certain. But was there another way? And how could she, a slave, dare to disobey the most powerful man in the world? Who did she think she was? She had no power, no authority, no right to even wish for better. All she could do was pray. Pray for a girl? Pray for God’s will? Pray for a miracle? Did God even hear her prayers? If He cared about her and her child why was He allowing this situation in the first place?
When her son was born it would have seemed as if his fate were sealed. But not to the son of this praying mama. As she prayed and as she cried out to heaven, her faith grew.
Exodus 2:2 says, “… when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.”
I believe God gives every praying mama the gift to be able to see eternity’s plan in the eyes of her children. We know there is something very special about our precious one. The child you hold was planned before the world was created. God planned for that child to be placed into your family and your arms. He knows you have what that child needs, and He gives you eyes to see their uniqueness and potential.
When we see their divine potential, we recognize our responsibility to help that child fulfill his or her calling. It stirs the faith of God inside of us. We’ll do everything in our power to help our children live for God and do what they were created to do.
Mama, it’s not your imagination, your child is very special. God has a unique plan for that little one, and you are part of that plan.
In Hebrews 11:24 it reads, “By faith, Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
Her faith grew so strong she was determined to obey God, not Pharaoh. She feared God more than the king’s decree.
What did she do during those three months while she hid her son from the outside world? I imagine she prayed her heart out. And as she prayed God gave her an idea.
She would weave him a basket, tight and strong, covered with pitch and tar. She would place her child in the Nile, but in a basket so well made, it would keep him safe even in the Nile.
I see Moses’ mama sitting by the fire at night weaving this special masterpiece. And all the while, as her fingers work, she is praying. She’s praying for his safety and protection as he is released into the world. She is praying for God’s plan for his life to come to pass. As her hands work, she is crying out to the God of Heaven for wisdom to make the strongest basket she can, a basket made so well it will keep the water of the Nile out and her precious one safe within. She asks God to cover her son with His strong hand and carry him to the right place at the right time, to send him to the right people, and to keep him from harm. Praying and weaving. Weaving and praying.
We know that her work was successful and her prayers were answered. Her basket kept him safe and afloat, and God guided it to the right place at the right time. It was God’s plan, after all, not hers. But through her prayers, and her faithfulness, God’s plan for her son was fulfilled.
Mama, this story is for you. It sometimes feels like the world has the upper hand, that it’s impossible for our children to escape the strong currents of our culture, that they will be carried away by its overwhelming pull. But that doesn’t have to be. That’s not what your children were created for. They were created to love and serve God.
When you pray for them you are weaving a strong basket secure enough to keep them. In praying you are partnering with God to bring His plan for them to pass.
You can ask God and trust Him to guide your children to the right place at the right time. Your prayers are so powerful and so necessary. Don’t stop praying. This is your calling, to pray prayers only a mama can pray. No one can pray for your child with more love and faith than you. Keep praying, keep weaving. Don’t stop. It’s working. It’s making a difference even if you can’t see it right now.
Good work, Mama.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please teach me how to pray for my children. Today I lift them up to You. I believe and declare that You created them for a purpose; to know, love and serve You. I call forth Your plan for their lives.
I pray, Lord, that You would protect them from danger and keep them from the overwhelming pull of this world. I pray they would delight to know You, to be called by Your name, to be a part of Your Kingdom. I pray they would know all the days of their lives that they are special and set apart, that they belong to You.
As they go out into the world, I pray for your hand to guide them where they need to be, to the right people and the right places to fulfill Your plan for their lives.
I pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in their lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Leave a Reply