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Letting God

God’s plan meant that Jochebed would have to let go of the hands-on role she had in his life and trust that everything she had done would be fruitful and purposeful both for Moses and in God’s kingdom.

Hundreds of years later, as the leader of the nation formed by those Jochebed's son led out of captivity, King Solomon penned his famous book of Proverbs. It is a parenting principle so many of us moms hold to.

Proverbs 22:6 NLT

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Long before those words were written, Jochebed tested them. She had no guarantees that her son would be spared pain or difficulty. She could not know the magnitude of God’s purpose for the little baby she so courageously guarded. She could only direct his path as best she could for as long as she was able, trusting in God's hands that it would be enough.

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Paul, who did not have the luxury of staying indefinitely with his spiritual children, made the most of the opportunity for as long as he was with them. Then came the time to let go of his hands-on role and entrust them to God's greater care.

In writing to encourage his spiritual children in the city of Philippi, he gives us the mystery for confidently letting go.

Philippians 1:3-6 NLT

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

REFLECT ON PAUL'S WORDS

• While Paul let go of the daily hands-on care of these people, how was he still practically involved with guiding them?
• What was his emotional state of mind?
• What confidence does he have?

REFLECT ON LETTING GO

• In preparation for the letting-go days, how can you begin practicing the guiding prayers Paul described?
• When you think of letting go little by little as they grow and ultimately as they move out, what emotions do you feel?
• What kind of joy is there in letting go - for you and for your child?

Paul was with his spiritual children long enough to see the good work God was doing in them and was confident God would continue to be faithful in guiding and growing them.

• What good do you see that God is working in your child's life today?
• How have you been part of that ongoing good work of God?
• How can focusing on God's ever-increasing work in your child give you the confidence to one day let go with joy?

JOCHEBED LET GO AND LET GOD CONTINUE

It was enough for Jochebed to know that God had appointed her as Moses' mom. She knew with certainty her role had an enormous purpose. She understood that training her children to trust and obey the Lord would prepare them for all the good He would continue in and through them.

Using faith as her greatest mom resource, Jochebed trained up not only Moses, the redeemer of God’s people from Egypt, but Miriam, a prophetess and leader of women, and Arron, whom God appointed the first High Priest among His people.

The three first great leaders of Israel were all trained up by the same humble, fierce, courageous, faith-filled mama bear - which shaped all human history thereafter.

An important caveat: Moses was not the only one of Jochebed's kids to make poor choices. In fact, they all did and the scriptures detail the failures of each one. By no means was Jochebed a perfect mom who raised perfect kids. Let's face it, even if she was a perfect mom, her kids would still have made mistakes. (Free will, and all that.)

What Jochebed did well, which we can imitate, is to not try to mom alone. She put her trust in God and used the resources He made available with consistency. That is the part we can control. Our children will make their choices - but look what God did with what this one imperfect mom offered up.

📝 In your journal, write a prayer expressing your desires for what God might do through your influence as you train up your child in this generation.