Why

The Birth of Moses

2 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 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. ³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket^[a] 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. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
⁷ Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
⁸ “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
¹⁰ When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,^[b] saying, “I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:1-10


The Lord said to Moses, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

- Exodus 9:16 (NIV)

 

I’m an adopted Korean who grew up in the United States. My husband came to the U.S. as an international student from Korea and remained in the states to work. Because of our backgrounds, we have been able to reach out to other international families. A year ago, we moved from California to South Korea for my husband’s job. I was devastated to leave my former life.

Now, we are living in South Korea, and I don’t speak the language. I keep asking, “Why am I here, God? What am I supposed to do?” God reminded me of Moses, who was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Though a Hebrew, he was raised as an Egyptian. God used Moses and his blended culture in reaching out to and leading God’s people. “I have raised you up for this very purpose,” says Exodus 9:16. God has a purpose for me in Korea.

 I know part of it is to witness Christ’s love to the people around me. As I pray and seek the Lord, God reveals little by little what I am to do. Whatever our circumstances and background, God has a plan and purpose for us.

 

The Author - Tina M. Cho (Seoul, South Korea) from The Upper Room

Thought for the Day

 God has a plan and purpose for us. 

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for showing us that you can use us and our various cultural backgrounds. Help us to fulfill your purposes wherever we are. Amen.