Bibledoorajar: Occupied With The Future

Jochabed had delivered a boy baby at what seemed like the wrong time. The Hebrew boys were all being taken to the river and killed by Pharoah's decree. Evil had spoken, but so had God. The battle for the future was on. Pharoah had no idea that God had spoken that His people, his fledgling nation now captive to Pharoah, would be delivered. A deliverer would come. Count on it!  For some Hebrews this message was received by faith--they heard the word and believed it. We know that Amram and Jochabed were among those who heard and believed because Stephen includes their acts of faith in his speech to the Sanhedrin (See Acts 7). Everything that happened at home after Moses was born, everything that happened at the river after he was placed there was a result of faith in a God who had said and was saying that His people would have a future. Amram and Jochabed hid Moses at home until he could no longer be hidden there. During that time, they prepared a safe ark for the baby to rest in for they would take to what seemed a place of death. Think of the bravery it took to carry the baby filled ark to the river, the place of death. A nervous bravery to be sure, but nevertheless one so occupied with the future that it compelled them to action. Since the Word assures us that faith comes by hearing, the family (at that time Aaron and Miriam, Moses brother and sister were at home) must have heard and believed that God would provide a Deliverer. Compelled, they placed the baby safe in the ark in the bull rushes near the palace at a place where Pharoah's daughter bathed. Miriam was placed nearby to watch and to provide a critical step in the plan. Think of the faith this young girl had to already be occupied with the future, to realize how important deliverance was.  No dawdling, no "I forgot". just bravely staying at her post.

I remember seeing the Nile river for the first time. It was truly a place of "death". I saw people relieving themselves as others were bathing, washing and brushing their teeth as dead animals floated by. We were warned that the river was full of disease and to be cautious. Only in a safe ark would we go in that river! And then it hit us. We were all at the place of death in our sins, when we were saved and placed in THE ARK. We had all become occupied with the future at the moment of our delivery. Indeed, we (a ministry team) were in Egypt because God had transferred us into His future occupied kingdom and by faith we were to minister life in that place of death when everything about us said home was calling. It was definitely a hard time, but also thrilling to realize how great salvation is and how wonderful it is to spread the good news in places of spiritual death. Look; it's all around us. Are you occupied with the future?