Lord, Here's My Basket ~My Children~

Lord Here’s My Basket - My Basket of My Babies

Several months ago the Lord dealt with me about a series of Studies on Consecration… on giving him everything I have. So many times we don’t think we have much to offer the Lord but the more I studied the more I realized that he desires ALL of ME… anything and everything! He wants me to put whatever I have into the basket and GIVE that basket to him! I decided to turn my studies into a series of blog posts and pray that it might be as much of a blessing to someone else as it has been to me.

Since This is Mother’s Day I decided to start with a topic that fits the day and is very near and dear to my heart:

~My Children~

---

Our first study begins a long time ago in the book of Exodus… the book begins with the Israelites in bondage, striving to serve an exacting Pharoah, who has realized that this group of Israelites has grown drastically in number. He commands the midwives to kill the baby boys as they’re born. The Midwives, however, feared the Almighty God, so Pharoah had to come up with an alternate plan… Soooo he demanded that all the Baby boys be cast into the river.

This is where our study begins… although it really doesn’t end here… Jochabed’s actions and influence would last LONG into the FUTURE!

Exodus 2:1-10

Verse 1 - “ a man of the house of Levi…took to wife a daughter of Levi”

Amram and Jochabed were both from the Tribe of Levi. They had the same values, same belief system. There is an important lesson here, in the first verse of this chapter.

The spouse you choose will have a direct effect on how you raise your children!

Do you have the same biblical beliefs, family values, and goals? Just being saved is not enough to make a good marriage! These things are important to discuss now... Before your children arrive!

Verse 2 - “she hid him”

Jochabed hid her baby from those wicked soldiers!! She kept him away from Egypt (the world) as long as she possibly could! I’m sure it wasn’t easy to hide a newborn baby for 3 months. Jochabed did her part to keep her baby away from Egypt! It is imperative to protect our children from the wickedness of this world!

~Am I hiding my child? Or am I exposing them to all the filth and sinfulness this world has to offer!?

Too many times we, as parents, are too lazy to be vigilant and hide our children! We allow the world into our homes via television, movies, and the internet without considering how it affects our children and the job that God has for them to do!!

Verse 3 – “she took for him an ark”

ark- a place of safety and protection; a refuge

It is a big responsibility to “prepare an ark” for our children, but it is our job as parents! It is not the job of the church, or the Christian school, or the grandparents, or the babysitter to teach my children about God!

It is my God-given responsibility to prepare them for the future.

Their spiritual future and where they will spend eternity is the greatest responsibility we have as parents! Am I preparing a safe place for my children! For both Noah and Moses, the ark was a place of deliverance from certain death. Am I preparing my children by keeping teaching them salvation’s plan and how God has provided a way to deliver them from death and hell?

Verse 3 (cont) “and daubed it with slime and with pitch”

Slime is soft moist Earth that has adhesive qualities; it is used for mortar when laying bricks. Pitch is the resin of pine used to waterproof.

Am I protecting my children from outside influences that might “slip through the cracks” and harm them? Jochabed used slime to hold the bullrushes together when preparing Moses ark. She wanted to be sure that Moses basket would not come to harm. She also used pitch, which made his boat waterproof! Am I protecting my children from the outside influences of this world? Am I being vigilant to keep out the bad influences? Or am I allowing little things to “slip through the cracks” because they’re “not that bad”?

Verse 3 (cont) “and put the child therein”

This might well have been the most difficult thing that the Lord is asking of Jochabed. In order to put her baby in that basket, she had to take her hands off of him. She would no longer have control over him or his future. She had to trust God alone - that he had a plan for her sweet little baby, and that he would protect and take care of him. Am I trusting God with my children? Have I put them in the basket or am I selfishly clinging to them so that my own desires and wants are fulfilled?

Many of you know that in March, I had to put “my baby” in the basket. Benjamin, our oldest son, really felt like God wanted him to stay home in New Brunswick, Canada. (Did I mention that the borders are closed right now?) He applied for several jobs and had three interviews his first week. They all went well, but God blessed him with a carpentry apprentice position with a cabinet maker. It was hard to put my son in the basket and let go. Deep down inside, I knew that this was God’s will for my son.

Are we allowing God to work in our children’s lives? Or are we determined to have our own way, living our dreams through our children? Am I allowing my son to become what God desires Him to be? He has created each child for a unique purpose... To do a special job. Am I allowing them to fulfill God’s purpose for their life?

Verse 3 (cont) “she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink”

Maybe this was the hardest thing that Jochabed had to do. This mama not only had to take her hands off her baby, but now it was time to fully trust the Lord that he would take care of him! She carefully placed the ark “in the flags”, where there was still protection here, along the edge of the river. Notice she didn’t just push him out in the middle of the river to be swept along by the rushing current. As we remove our hands from the basket we must still be cautious.

Too many times, as soon as the child is 18, the parents declare them adults - allowing them to be swallowed up in the currents of this world! Jochabed cautiously placed her baby’s basket by the river’s brink, where there was still some protection! This world’s currents are strong! We much teach our children to be grounded in God’s word, BEFORE we put that boat in the water! I’m sure Mama Jochabed was praying much as she cautiously and slowly released Moses ark into the water.

Verse 4 “And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him”

Even after letting go of Moses' basket and walking away, Jochabed had someone looking out for her son! This world is a dangerous place and the God of this world would like nothing better than to devour our children! It is a good thing to set up safeguards for our children, even as we let them go... Encourage them to seek counsel from older wiser mentors, and ask those around them to help watch for their souls!

Yes, it is imperative that we put our babies in the basket and give them to the Lord… BUT that must be done with careful attention and preparation!! Thank God we have His Word, Biblical examples, and Godly role models to help us with this task!!

Mama’s, take heart! God loves your babies even more than you do and he has the ability to take care of them even better than we possibly can! He created your child for a specific purpose… WE MUST do our jobs as Mothers to PREPARE them for that purpose!! Just think of what Moses accomplished! He was God’s CHOSEN man for a GREAT WORK! Jochabed did her part in freeing the children of Israel, by putting her son in the basket that she had carefully prepared for him.

Lord, Here’s My Basket

Let's Chat:

Jochabed did a lot of preparing before she let her baby go, but she DID let him go! Have you struggled with letting your children go? What are some things that you did to help prepare them for leaving? Let us know by sending us an email at threnladies@gmail.com or by heading over to our Contact tab! We would absolutely love to hear from you!

Love from

All of us here at ~Continue~