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Raise them and trust…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 2:1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 

I cannot imagine what this woman is going through. Loving and hiding her child for three months. Then loving him enough and trusting God enough to put him in a papyrus basket lined with pitch and float him down the Nile.

Exodus 2:2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 

Though isn’t that what we are all tasked to do? Raise our babies (literal, metaphorical, educational babies) as best we can and then trust their futures into God’s hands? As a mama and a teacher and a nurturer from way back, that letting go part is HARD, at least for me.

Exodus 2:3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 

God of nurturers, Thank You that You love our children (literal, metaphorical, educational children) more than we are even capable of loving. I know how very much I love my boys. It is almost inconceivable to think that more love exists than is in my heart for them, yet I know You love each of us fiercely, deeply, completely. Thank You. Help us to trust their futures to You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 2:4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Have a blessed day.

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God’s heart…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 1:19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

I have always been a rule follower. I have always had faith that rules exist for a reason, even if I don’t fully understand the why. I have always tried to trust the rule makers, those in charge–that they have everyone’s best interest at heart, that the rules are important, necessary, for the whole to run smoothly.

Exodus 1:20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 

I have always been a rule follower, so this line of commentary gave me pause: [God] “won His victory through some courageous individuals who were willing to stand up to the power of Pharaoh and do what was right.” They did not follow the rules. They followed their hearts, God’s heart.

Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Precious Savior, Sometimes those making the rules do not have the good of all in their hearts. Sometimes they do not love You and love others. Instead, they love themselves, power, money, fame, etc, etc. I love You, Lord. I want to love like You love, fiercely, deeply, completely. Help me, always, to do what’s right in Your eyes and not the eyes of the world. Help me to love You and love others, always. Amen.

Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Have a blessed day.

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Holding on to hope…. (devo reflection)

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On growth and tough times…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 1:8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 

Joseph ended up in Egypt because of his brothers’ treachery, but Egypt was exactly where the Israelites needed to be in order to grow into a powerful nation. If they had stayed in Canaan, they would have intermarried, and their faith would have been diluted.

Exodus 1:9-10 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

For centuries, that worked well for all involved, but now there is a new Pharaoh, one who has no knowledge of Joseph, one who is concerned about the number of Israelites in Egypt. However, even with oppression and forced labor, the Israelites continue to grow as a nation.

Exodus 1:11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 

Lord of the searching, Thank You that there are sources of commentary to help me understand what I read, to help me think about what I believe to be true. Thank You for this example in Exodus of growth, even when times are tough. Help me, with every word, to draw closer to You, to understand You a little better, to love and trust You even more. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 1:12-13 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.

Have a blessed day.

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The curiosity to seek…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 

We started our verse by verse journey of Genesis on October 4, 2024. We finished it on September 20, 2025. It took us eleven months and two weeks to go verse by verse through the entire chapter of Genesis. That feels significant as we turn the page into Exodus today. I want us to take a moment and soak that in.

Exodus 1:2-5 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.

Do I remember every single word, every event, every act of faith in Genesis? I do not. I suspect you don’t either, and that’s ok. What I do remember is all those fleshly, fallible, messy humans–how God used them in spite of, or maybe because of, their messiness–and God’s fierce love, His amazing grace, His incredible mercy.

Exodus 1:6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 

Lord of the Seeking, Thank You for the time and space to go verse by verse through the book of Genesis. Thank You for the curiosity to seek You, to look for You, to question what we don’t get and what we’ve always assumed. Thank You for showing up, again and again, as we seek to know You more. Please be with us through Exodus as well. Amen.

Exodus 1:7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

Have a blessed day.

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Patience, trust, and faith…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:22-23 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.

Patience, trust, and faith in something in which I have no control are three things that are incredibly difficult for me. Even as I type these words, I know they don’t make a lot of sense, and yet, they are true. I don’t like waiting, I have a hard time trusting others, and I’m most comfortable if I am the one in control (because I know what I’m capable of and what I am willing and able to do).

Genesis 50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 

Joseph’s last words were words of faith: “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” It would take 400 years for his bones to make it out of Egypt, but eventually, they did, and Joseph, even with his last breath, trusted that God would provide.

Genesis 50:25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

Lord of the impatient, Thank You for Joseph’s example of faith, even with his last breath, even though it would take centuries for his bones to make it out of Egypt. Help me to trust You. Help me to wait, as patiently as possible, on You and in You. Help me to have faith in You alone. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Have a blessed day.

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Our good, His glory…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

Verse 20, along with Romans 8:28, are two of my favorites when life doesn’t work out the way *I* had planned. God gives us free will. Free will plus messy humanity equals mistakes and missteps, pain and often heartache. But God is sovereign and good, merciful and compassionate. He can and will and does work all things for our good and His glory. 

Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

I could write out a looong list of things that didn’t turn out the way *I* wanted, times when people acted selfishly, times when I could not for the life of me figure out how God could use a situation (whatever it was) for my good or for His glory. Yet, He does IF we let Him, IF we trust Him, IF we let go of our hopes and desires and trust that even if it doesn’t make sense, somehow, our merciful Savior will work this for our good and HIs glory. 

Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for my rock solid faith that if I allow, You WILL work all things for my good and Your glory. Help me to let go of my will, of the way I think things should go, and to trust Your mercy and compassion. Always. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 50:21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Have a blessed day. 

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On love and forgiveness…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

Commentary posits that the “instructions” the brothers claim their father left was probably a fabrication because “They didn’t feel they had the moral right to ask Joseph for mercy, since they sinned against him so greatly.” Sit with that one for a moment.

Genesis 50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 

The Joseph of Genesis is often in scripture alluded to as a precursor to Jesus. But, to me, the thought that I can’t ask Jesus for forgiveness because I have sinned too greatly just doesn’t register, and it’s not because I’m not capable of great sin. It is because I know that my Savior loves me deeply, fiercely, completely. He wants a relationship with me, but He will not force it.

Genesis 50:16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 

Mighty Savior, Thank You for Your fierce love, a love which leaves a door open for me to return to You ALWAYS, no matter what. Thank You that You don’t force me into relationship with You. You allow me to choose You. Even when I have made really bad choices, if I will humble myself and return to You, You are always there. Help me to never take Your love and grace for granted. Amen.

Genesis 50:17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

Have a blessed day.

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Honoring others…. (devo reflection)

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All of my sorrows…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

I don’t think, as a culture, we know how to handle death and grieving well. I know, as an individual, I struggle with both the permanence of the physical loss and the enormity of the emotional pain. Should I cry and sob, scream and wail, exhausting myself with the effort of expending all the emotion? Is it better to stop the tears, bottled up the grief?

Genesis 50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt— 

1 Thess 4:13 reminds me that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Psalm 56:8 reminds me that God knows every tear that I cry, all of my sorrows, so I know the process of grief and grieving is important to the process of healing, and I know that my Creator cares about my grief and pain.

Genesis 50:8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 

God of the grieving, Thank You for the reminder that You care about our heartaches. Help us learn to grieve fully our earthly losses so that we don’t get stuck in our grief and pain. Thank You for the reminder that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Amen.

Genesis 50:9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.

Have a blessed day.