Advancing God’s Kingdom by LETTING GO

Exodus 2:3 says "When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank."

In this clip, I tried to emotionally imagine the moment when Jochebed placed her newborn son into a floating basket onto one of the world's most dangerous rivers, the Nile. Make no mistake, a parenting choice like this in modern times would unquestionably have ended in a visit from child protective services. If there had been a better way out, I'm 100% sure she would have picked it. Faced with only bad options, Jochebed chose the best bad option in front of her. She planned this moment to a "T." She knew the risks. But eventually the moment came when she had to set the baby in the basket, put the basket into the water, and LET GO.

And in letting go, Jochebed advanced God's Kingdom further than any Israelite had done in over 400 years.

Sometimes we all struggle with control. I know I do. If I were here, this would be one of those "God moments" when I'd be wanting to keep a hand on the steering wheel "just in case" God didn't come through. But if she had held on, Pharoah's daughter never would have found Moses. If that hadn't happened, we wouldn't have a Moses! As a parent, I sure am thankful that this is one of those moments in Scripture that is DESCRIPTIVE rather than PRESCRIPTIVE. I hold tight onto my babies! But nonetheless the image is powerful.

We all face moments when we have to do what God says and let go of the outcome.

What are you struggling to let go of? Control? Idealism? Pride? The image of the perfect life? Debt? Doubt? Fear? Unforgiveness?  All of these situations are different but they all take uncomfortable action to tangibly trust God. I have found that obeying God often feels like the opposite of whatever we would normally want to do. For example, letting go of pride requires humbling oneself. Forgiveness requires a healing process where we face a difficult situation we would rather ignore. Idealism doesn't just go away - we have to put ourselves into situations where we learn to accept what God has allotted in a given situation.

The point is: obeying God and letting go is HARD. Yet the act of letting go is often the greatest catalyst for Kingdom advancement in our lives.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6