Give me your son; a testimony of hope

Exodus 2:1-10

By: Vivi Flores, Lay Leader

Before becoming a mom I went through a discouraging period of infertility that seemed endless. Finally by the grace of God, I was able to conceive my first baby after 2 surgeries on my uterus. At the age of 7, my son had an immune system disease which inflamed his joints and kidneys, causing him to bleed in his urine. Trips to the bathroom terrified him. The process, between the hospital and the lab for weekly blood and urine tests, took 1 year and 6 months before the doctors could declare him clear. As a family, we faced the challenge of trusting God even though we did not know how long his physical suffering would last.

One night praying at the foot of his bed I felt the voice of the Holy Spirit say to me, "give me your son".. For a moment I thought it was a joke, but as I struggled with the thought, the Lord overwhelmed my heart with His peace and sense of purpose as I finally yielded to His difficult request.

This reminds me of Jochebed, Moses' mother. She, in faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, gave him up to his fate when Moses was only 3 months old, apparently setting him adrift in the Nile River. Overcoming the pain of having to give up her precious baby, almost detaching him from her breast, and to perhaps the heart-rending cries of other mothers in the region whose babies were torn from their arms because of Pharaoh's ruthless order to execute all Hebrew male babies (Exodus 1:22). But Jochebed was not taken from him, she surrendered him. Certainly a decision not without suffering, but a courageous one.

When Moses was found in the river by Pharaoh's daughter, he had the opportunity to grow up inside the palace and learn first-hand the ins and outs of Egypt. Later, God would give him the opportunity to meet him face to face, to return to his own people and to become their deliverer. All this because a mother, even in pain, sought to protect her son by trusting in a God who is greater than all that our physical and spiritual eyes can see. 

Hebrews 11:23 describes the faith of Moses' parents, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw him a beautiful child, and were not afraid of the king's decree."

Her almost heroic decision gave her back the little one to continue to be breastfed by herself, serving as his wet nurse and receiving a salary. "Take this child and breastfeed him for me-theprincess said to the child's mother. I will pay you for your help." So the woman went home with the baby and nursedit." Exodus 2:9 (NTV). God is indeed a God of details and He honors those who honor Him!

Beloved, like Jochebed, God is asking all of us mothers to learn to give Him, in faith, our children daily. They are His inheritance and we do not really own them. If things are not going as you had hoped in your children's lives, whether due to sickness, rebellion, foolishness, spiritual coldness, etc. in a prayer, perhaps in tears but sincere, surrender them to the Lord's sovereignty and protection. By entrusting them into His hands, you will contribute to God's GREAT purpose being fulfilled in their lives. Moses became a great leader with a mission to lead God's people out of bondage. So too, God will allow you to see the fruit of your trust in Him in their lives because He remains faithful.