Trust More Than Fear

Scripture Texts: Exodus 2; Acts 7:17-29: Hebrews 11:23-26

The focus of the passage in Exodus, which is echoed in the Acts and Hebrews passages, is the birth and development of Moses. This is an important part of the narrative about the people of God and we will explore it over the next couple of weeks. However, there is a person of great faith in this story that often is glossed over, Moses' mother.

We don't know exactly how many other children were in the family. What we do know is there was a sister, and there was Moses, an exceptional child. His mother nursed and cared for him for three months, at risk of Moses' death and her own. When she could no longer hide her baby boy she put him in a basket and placed him in the river. She placed him in the reeds, where he would not float away. Also, we are not told this however it is safe to guess she knew the place where the Princess came to bathe in the river. Moses' mother trusts that God will care for her son who was an exceptional child. She also used the ability God had given her to be wise in where she put her baby boy.

In the end she ended up nursing and caring for her own son without Pharaoh or the Princess knowing it was her son. Added to that was the fact that the Princess paid her to do so. The faithfulness of Moses' mother is often unsung, yet it was rewarded as she was able to raise her son, and she was also able to have her son used by God to lead the people of God out of captivity. Can you imagine what might have happened if she feared Pharaoh more than she trusted God?

The willingness to be an unsung hero is essential in marriage. Often there are not bright lights. There are no names on the grand marquee. In fact most of the time it is two people living their lives in quiet faithfulness. In the midst of all this each partner must be willing to be an unsung hero toward the other. Quietly, without expectation, serving each other so that your partner may experience all that God has in mind for them.

In order to be an unsung hero what is often required is having trust in God that is greater than fear of anything else. We must trust God more than the fear of irrelevance. We must trust God more than the fear of being taken advantage of. We must trust God more than the fear of betrayal. No matter what fears show up, being a hero to our spouse means that we are willing to trust God at work in our marriage more than any fear lurking in our minds. I am sure Moses' mother had all kinds of scenarios running through her mind about her boy. At the same time she trusted God and walked with wisdom, more than she gave into fear.