How can Exodus 18:3 inspire trust in God's protection during trials? Verse in Focus Exodus 18:3: “along with her two sons (one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses had said, ‘I have been a foreigner in a foreign land’).” Setting the Scene • Moses is reunited with his wife and children after the exodus from Egypt. • He deliberately names his firstborn “Gershom,” a daily reminder that he once lived as a stranger under threat. • The verse looks backward to lonely years in Midian and forward to Israel’s wilderness journey—both seasons demanding confidence in God’s watchful care. Key Observations • Naming as testimony – In Scripture, names often declare God’s past action or future promise (Genesis 16:13; 1 Samuel 7:12). – Gershom broadcasts Moses’ story: “I was displaced, yet the Lord preserved me.” • God’s protection in hidden seasons – Midian was obscure, but God was not absent (Psalm 139:7–10). – Moses survived Pharaoh’s wrath, desert dangers, and forty years of seeming delay—all under God’s shield. • Memory that fuels present faith – Every time Moses called his son’s name, he rehearsed God’s faithfulness. – Remembering past deliverance builds current trust (Deuteronomy 7:18–19). Application: Trusting God in Our Trials • Identify your “Gershom” moments – Times you felt out of place, vulnerable, or overlooked, yet witnessed God sustain you. – Mark them—journal, share, or even assign a meaningful name to a milestone. • Let memory combat fear – When today’s trial whispers, “God has forgotten you,” answer with yesterday’s evidence of His care. – Like Moses, let the story you carry silence the story fear invents. • Believe protection can look like placement – God’s shelter may be a desert job, a temporary relocation, even a season of obscurity. – Exodus 18:3 shows protection is not always a dramatic rescue; sometimes it’s God keeping you alive and growing while you feel foreign. Supporting Scriptures • Psalm 34:19 — “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” • 2 Corinthians 1:10 — “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will yet again deliver us.” • Isaiah 43:2 — “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.” Takeaway Truths • God’s protection is as real in the wilderness as on the mountaintop. • Remembered deliverances fuel present endurance. • Your “stranger” seasons can become living monuments to the Lord’s unfailing guard. |
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