X-alt April 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Moses' Parents

Hebrews 11 doesn't have all that much to say about Moses' parents, but they are still included as heroes of the faith!

When they hid Moses in the reeds of the Nile this was a desperate act (see Exodus 2)!  What if the basket had developed a leak, or if there had been a rise in river level that washed him away, and what about these...

Even though they were desperate they had faith - they saw something about that baby that made them know that God had plans and purpose for him and they knew he would survive.  Did they know that he would lead a nation and still be famous thousands of years after?  Probably not!  But their action was a faith filled response to God's leading - not knowing what would happen, but trusting God to come through for them.

It has been said that the safest place to be is in the centre of God's will.  There is some truth in that, because being separated from God is a horrible place to be.  It is also true though, that being in God's will is the most dangerous place to be!  If we want to be at the centre of God's will we should expect it to be dangerous and scary at times!  But we can be full of hope that even in the hardest times, God is with us and will eventually lead us to a place without pain or suffering, where we will dwell in his presence and know nothing but joy!

To get to that place we need to be desperate.  We need to realise that there's nothing we can do to earn it.  Our sin separates us from God, and what we deserve is for this separation to last for eternity.

At Easter we remember the story of Jesus dying on the cross.  He is the supreme example of what it means to be at the centre of God's will and how dangerous that can be.  Before he was arrested, we see a desperate man under so much stress that he sweated blood, asking his Father if there might be another way.  But there was no other way, and Jesus was more concerned with doing his Father's will than playing it safe.

Jesus went to the Cross and died in our place, paying the penalty we deserve, so that we might live.  This is the basis of our hope.  We need to be desperate enough to throw ourselves on God's mercy to be saved - there is no other way, and we can't do it ourselves.  Part of that involves letting Jesus be in control rather than us - then we will follow him into all sorts of adventures where we won't know what the outcome will be!

What we can see from Moses' parents, and from Jesus, is that when we follow God into desperate situations he will come through for us in spectacular ways!

Are you desperate for God?  Will you follow him, no matter what desperate measures are required to do so?  What is your hope for the future that will sustain you through the desperate times?