In Exodus the new Pharaoh is getting nervous about how the Israelite's numbers are growing bigger and bigger. So, Pharaoh tells the Hebrew midwives to kill the baby boys. The midwives fear God more than they fear Pharaoh so they don't do what Pharaoh says. When Pharaoh finds out, he asks them why they have not obeyed him and they tell him that the mothers have the babies before they get there. So, Pharaoh tells his soldiers to go kill all the baby boys.  In chapter two, a Levite woman gets pregnant and has a baby boy. She hides him for three months and then puts him in a basket and sends him down the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter finds him and adopts him and has his own mom gets to nurse him for pay. When Moses grows up, he goes out to watch the slaves. An Egyptian starts beating one of the Hebrew slaves and Moses kills the Egyptian. Moses flees Egypt and goes to Midian. He marries a woman named Zipporah. In chapter three, Moses is tending the flocks and he sees a burning bush, but the bush isn't being burned. A voice comes the the bush and the Lord commissions Moses to make Pharaoh let his people go.
        My favorite verse is Exodus 2:8, "Yes, go," she answered. So the girl went and got the baby's mother. This is my favorite verse because it's ironic, but it's God. God provided for this mother, first, that the baby was found and adopted, and second that his own mother was chosen to nurse him.
        I can apply these chapters to my life for when Moses trusted the voice in the burning bush and did as it said. Often, I don't listen to God even when I know that the voice is God, and Moses didn't. Sometimes, I don't like to listen to God because his way is harder and I just want to stay in my own sin because it takes to much work. But compared to what Moses had to do, what I have to do is nothing. So, I need to apply this to my life by listening to God's voice even when what he's asking is hard.

     
         It's easy to have faith in God when everything in your life is going well. The hard part of faith comes when things start to go wrong for you. People in your life may help you during these times, but a lot of people will give you bad advice. Like Job, people in your life may tell you to curse God. During these times, the best thing to do will be to praise God and stay strong in your faith. It's not easy, but it's not impossible.
       
        Job was the richest man in all the earth. He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He had three daughters and seven sons. In one day, he lost everything he had. He lost all of his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, children, and servants. The only thing that remained was himself and his wife. The first example of when Job stood firm in his faith is after four servants come to tell him that all of his animals, children and servants are gone. After he hears this in Job 1:20-22 he says: "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." That takes a lot of faith right there. A LOT. Even when Job lost everything he had, he fell to his knees and worshiped the Lord. The second example is when Satan strikes Job with boils and in Job 2:9 his wife says:  "Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job loses everything and worships God and then he loses his health and is struck down with boils and still worships God and does not sin. Job is a great example to us in our times of struggle. Even though our struggles are relevant in God's eyes, they are nothing compared to what Job was burdened with. Next time we are struggling, we can look to Job as an example and fall to our knees to worship God.

        God is a just God. He does not do things without reason. Job's suffering was a trial from God, but also it was a temptation from Satan to curse God. A trial from God is different than a temptation from Satan because God wants you to pass the test, and Satan doesn't.  God is a loving God, so of course He wants you to pass his test. Satan is evil and wants you to fail at everything. You may be burdened with suffering and you don't know what to do. Take it as a test that you need to pass and worship God throughout it. Also, God is sovereign. He has authority over whatever suffering a person may be going through. He has power over that situation and we need to trust him in the midst of everything.