Listen

The king of Egypt spoke to two Hebrew midwives named Shiphrah and Puah: “When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth and you see the baby being born, if it’s a boy, kill him. But if it’s a girl, you can let her live.” Now the two midwives respected God so they didn’t obey the Egyptian king’s order. Instead, they let the baby boys live.

So God treated the midwives well, and the people kept on multiplying and became very strong.

Exodus 1:15-17, 20

Think

It’s hard to imagine the turmoil the midwives must have felt in this situation. They were given a gift from God in their ability to bring new life into the world, but they were being asked by the Egyptian king to do the very opposite. By not conforming to what the world expected of them and remaining true to God’s will for them, they saved lives and changed the course of history for the ancient Israelites.

What courage it takes to live into our divine calling! While our lives and freedom may not be in danger like that of the midwives, the path of choosing to listen to God rather than the world remains a tricky one. But when we, like Shiphrah and Puah, choose to use our gifts as God intended, we, too, make room for everyone to live into wholeness with God.

Lauren Dunn

Question to Ponder:

How does God meet me in the turmoil of following God’s will for my life rather than following outward expectations?

Pray

God, my respect for you and your will is greater than any other factor in my life. Watch over me as you watched over the midwives so that I, too, may make the world around me stronger and more aligned with your will. Amen.

Go

Go into the world resting in the confidence of your identity in God, who designed you, loves you, and goes with you every step of the way.