She Dreams: Live The Life You Were Created Forनमुना

Have you ever thought to yourself, “How is this my life?” I sure have. On the days that kick me in the gut, I’m caught shaking my head and wondering why on earth my life is playing out like it is. “Why, God? What are you up to? Do you have a plan? I sure hope so.” We wonder why our story hasn’t progressed. We wonder why plans, even good plans, aren’t coming to pass. We long for things to move along when they appear to be stalled. The longing can feel like too much. Whether it’s longing for a loved one to know the Lord, for financial freedom, for a new job, for a spouse you can love and trust, or for the child you thought would be sleeping in your spare room by now. If left longing for too long, the heart grows weary and struggles to keep dreaming.

Remember, before Pharaoh issued the decree to throw every Hebrew baby boy into the Nile River, we read of strong women—lying midwives who, in an act of civil disobedience to Pharaoh’s order to kill baby boys upon delivery, protected the lives of innocent babies. They dreamed of life when Pharaoh dreamed of death. They feared God more than they feared Pharaoh. God was good to them. 

The Hebrew midwives had bravely defied Pharaoh with their lies, but that did not stop him from carrying out his heinous plan of genocide. Before we even witness the birth of Moses, we know his survival would be classified as a crime against the king of Egypt. He shouldn’t have survived his tragic beginning, but God’s way squashes the plans of even the most evil ruler. 

God promoted lowly Hebrew midwives in the kingdom over an evil ruler. The midwives’ duty was to protect and usher in new life. But Pharaoh demanded they violate their duty by murdering the baby boys upon birth. Pharaoh wished to kill Hebrew boys, yet we see that these Hebrew women were quite capable of bucking the system of the day because their God-sized dreams surpassed the wishes of their slave driver. The Lord used women—poor Hebrew women—to put His plans into motion. He was working even in the shadows of Exodus 1, positioning the right people in the right places to see the dreams of Israel’s patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—come to pass.