When God Shows Up: Real Stories of Faithਨਮੂਨਾ

Debbie*

"...When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, 'What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?' Moses answered him, 'Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.' Moses’ father-in-law replied, 'What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.'" Exodus 18:14-18, NLT

Debbie was suddenly widowed while two of her four daughters were still living at home. After a life in ministry with her husband, she recalls her shock at finding the church no longer felt like home. Instead, being at church made her feel especially sad and lonely.

Everything changed when Debbie heard of another young widow. She was called out of her grief and into a new ministry. “Having experienced widowhood, I know that no one gets it like another widow, and no one can help you and support you like another widow.” Over the years, her support of one widow grew to a ministry by widows and for widows, named after her late husband.

God didn’t design us to hold our burdens alone, even in ministry. By allowing others to join her in ministry to widows, Debbie found a path forward in her own grief. In the process, the church became home again, for her, and for many other women.

When Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, comes to visit, he is told of all that God has done for Moses and the Israelites and praises God (Exodus 18:10-12, NLT). Then, he observes the heavy load that Moses is carrying, serving as judge for all the people, and points out (with love) that this burden is too heavy. He suggests that Moses create a support system to help him meet the needs of the people. This both empowers other people and means Moses can bear his share of the burden.

Meditate on this intervention by Jethro. Who benefited from Moses sharing his ministry?

*Name changed to protect privacy