God's Word Equips

By: Jessika Sanders

*This is an adapted version of the original piece first published in Proverbs 31 Ministry's book, Hope When Your Heart is Heavy (2021).

"So the LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' He [Moses] said, 'A rod.'" Exodus 4:2 (NKJV)

"But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it."

Exodus 14:16a (NKJV)

As I stood behind the sea of doctors feverishly working to stabilize my newborn son, my eyes met my husband's and silently screamed, "How are we going to make it through this?" 

Although my flesh cowered at the sight of it all, deep within me, my spirit was poised and ready. You see, God has a history of equipping His children with the tools they need to endure the storms of this life.

In His holy encounter with Moses in Exodus 4:2, God showed Moses he was already equipped: "So the LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' He [Moses] said, 'A rod.'"Chapters later, in Exodus 14:16a, when Moses and the Israelites stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh in hot pursuit, God directed Moses to "...lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it." Moses' response of faith and obedience allowed room for God to part the seas, making a way through what seemed impossible.

For me, there wasn't a burning bush but rather a sacred moment on a sofa one month earlier. The Lord spoke specific instructions for the tools I held in my hands: Read through the entire book of Psalms. Circle the parts I tell you. Pray these verses over yourself and your unborn son continuously until I tell you to stop.

As odd as the instructions may have seemed, I trusted. I didn't know what lay ahead, but God did. Reading through the psalms, obediently underlining verses and circling stanzas, I felt like Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho. He with priests and trumpets, and I with pen and highlighters. I remained fervent in prayer as my due date approached - trusting God and boldly marching prayer circles around invisible walls until He called them to fall.

The walls didn't fall right away. We spent four excruciating weeks in the NICU. I knew I was incapable of enduring such trying circumstances in my own strength, but each circled prayer emboldened and equipped me with the hope I needed to continue praying through the storm.

Whether you're experiencing a medical crisis, in a season of waiting, or navigating grief, I pray you find comfort in knowing you aren't expected to do this in your own strength. God has equipped you with His word, which is everything you need to endure the storm. So open your Bible, close your eyes and allow Him to equip you with the passages that will help you through.

Jessika Sanders is a published writer who has been featured in Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Hope When Your Heart is Heavy devotional (2021), Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. magazine (2023), and Tyndale’s So God Made a Mother (2023). She is also the co-author of The Good Book Company's, In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis ( July 2024). Jessika is the Founder and Executive Director of Praying Through ministries.