March 9th Devotion

The Basket in the Reeds
Greg Laurie

But when she could no longer hide him, she got a 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 bank of the Nile River. (Exodus 2:3 NLT)

When Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Moses, realized they could no longer hide Moses, they put the matter in God’s hands. They placed Moses inside a little basket covered with pitch, which means that it was waterproof.

Then they put the basket among the reeds in the Nile River, which happened to be where Pharaoh’s daughter decided to bathe in the river that day. As though on cue, Moses cried, and she saw the basket in the reeds. And when she opened it and laid eyes on Moses, her maternal instincts kicked in.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Miriam, the sister of Moses, approached the princess and offered to find someone to help nurse the baby for her. Ultimately, Pharaoh’s daughter paid Jochebed to nurse her own son until he was older.

I love how that story unfolds, because in it we see the practical and the spiritual working together. Sometimes we go too far one way or the other. Everything is spiritual and never practical, or everything is practical and never spiritual.

However, there’s a place for trusting, and there’s a place for being practical. Baby Moses cried, and Pharaoh’s daughter heard. A baby’s tears were God’s first weapon in His war against Egypt.

How hard it must have been for Jochebed to turn Moses over to Pharaoh’s daughter when the time came. But she had to trust the Lord.

Jesus said, “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29 NLT).

Jesus keeps His promises, and He will keep His promises to you. Whatever you have given up to follow Jesus will be more than made up to you in this life and in the life to come.