Women of Welcome: Bold + BraveIhe Atụ

Have you ever decided to trust God, and everything around you seemed to fall apart? Jochebed had trusted God with the life of her three-month-old son. Now that he was three years old, she had to bravely release him again. The years must have flown by, as most baby–toddler years do. The day she was to meet Pharaoh’s daughter must have hit hard. How could she possibly do this again?

Though the past few years of holding Moses in her arms were evidence of God’s faithfulness, how could she muster the resolve to do this? The crocodile-infested waters of the Nile must have seemed less dangerous than placing him now into the hands of the very family that sought to kill him. “Lord, is there another way? Will Pharaoh’s daughter hug and kiss him? Will she defend him and care for him? Will she try to erase his Hebrew heritage? Will he forget me?” A thousand thoughts must have occupied her mind in those years, and when the day came to give Moses to the princess, she had no assurance of anything.

Sometimes trusting God is painful, and when you’re trapped in pain, sometimes you honestly don’t care what God has done for you in the past. Sometimes, all his previous acts of faithfulness can seem insignificant or even cruel. You might think, “Lord, what was the point? What was it all for?” I’m sure Jochebed felt this way. God had a plan to save Moses and the Israelites, but how could Jochebed have known any of this? She couldn’t have.

So what should we do in times like this—when we know a bold act of faith is needed, but we’re too angry or frightened to move forward? The answer might seem too simple. But the truth is, sometimes the boldest thing we can do is choose to remember well. In doing so, we defy the very thing that pains us or prevents us from moving forward. Remembering well moves us from a place of fear to a place of trust.

Think back to the bold decisions of the women in this study:

Shiphrah and Puah defied a king and were blessed.

Jochebed trusted God, and it saved her son.

Miriam spoke up, and it reunited her family.

Pharaoh’s daughter showed compassion, and it saved a nation.

Each of these women took a brave step forward, doing what they knew was right and good in the face of intense fear and uncertainty. Each had a unique part to play in God’s redemptive story.

I (Bri) know it can be scary to move forward without assurances. I know that choosing bold actions and brave faith will cost you something. It always does, but Hebrews 13:6 tells us, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

You can do brave things. Put one foot in front of the other and bathe it all in prayer. You’re not alone. You have the legacy of bold women who have gone before you and saw God show up in ways they could never have imagined.

I’m confident he will show up for you too.

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20–21).