A Courageous Girl Chooses to Trust God

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Usually, we explore God’s Truth together one drive at a time, but today we’re riding a camel!

There’s no seat belt on this thing, but you’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus.

Dannah Gresh is going to continue to help us study the life of Miriam as we continue in our Quest for Courage. This season of our podcast is based on a True Girl Bible study for tweens titled, Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage. 

And of course, our quest is taking us to Egypt.

Have you ever asked for, wanted, or needed God to do something in your life? You prayed and waited and waited and waited and waited some more! What’s a courageous girl do when God isn’t answering her prayers as quickly as she’d hoped? Today, we’re going to learn courage lesson #3 from Miriam!

In today’s episode, Dannah and Staci have made their way to one of the ancient wonders of the world: the Great Pyramids of Giza! These ancient marvels are not only incredible to behold, they are the only ancient wonder left standing today.

Listen in as Dannah and Staci explore the pyramids on the backs of Hector and Carl, their new camel friends!

Here’s Staci and her camel, Carl.

Staci Rudolph: Finally! I know it, Carl, they are pretty cool. The Pyramids of Giza, I’m so excited! Just look at them Dannah! . . . Dannah?

Dannah Gresh: Oh, yes. Sorry, Staci, they are. I was distracted by my new friend Hector, here.

Isn’t he just the most adorable little camel you ever saw! I mean, look at that pretty face and those lusciously long eyelashes! Staci, do you think I could convince Farmer Bob to let me bring him home?

Staci: Dannah, how are you gonna get a camel from Egypt all the way back to the Gresh Farm? I mean, I couldn’t even fit a guitar in my suitcase, so I doubt you’re gonna fit that whole camel!

Dannah: You’re right, you’re right.

Ahhh Staci, have you ever seen anything more fascinating? I mean, just look at those pyramids! I think the view is probably better up here on Hector.

Staci: I know that’s right! 

It’s everything I was hopin’ for. Hey, did you know that the Giza pyramid is 481 feet tall? That’s almost as tall as the Washington Monument back in Washington, D.C!

Dannah: I didn’t know that. Man, Staci, you did your homework!

Staci: I sure did! I’ve been hoping all along that our courage quest would bring us here! Hey wanna hear another fun fa . . .

Dannah: Woah, Hector! Woah! It’s not nap time; it’s walking time!

Ope, I guess we’re goin’ down! C’mon Hector! 

Staci: Looks like he needs a little nap.

Dannah: I guess so. Poor old Hector is just too tired to keep up with that frisky little Carl of yours. Staci, do you think we could just give him a break?

Staci: Sounds good to me.

Dannah: Nothing better than a drink of water on a hot day. Hey, while we take our little rest break here, why don’t we pick up where we left off on Miriam’s story.

Staci: I’m down. 

Dannah: In more ways than one. 

Okay, True Girl, let’s review our first two courage lessons. See if you can fill in the blanks.

Courage lesson #1: A courageous girl is ________

Staci: Obedient! 

Dannah: If only camels were! And courage lesson #2: A courageous girl learns from ______

Staci: Godly people!

Dannah: Correct-o-mundo! Hey, while we’re in learning mode, let’s just do our courage lesson here. Staci, can you get us started by reading today’s Bible verse?

Staci: I got you. Let me just grab my Bible out of this handy camel pack. Excuse me Carl . . . what a funny name for a camel. 

Isaiah 35:4 says:

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

Dannah: What a fierce verse! When our hearts our fearful . . .

Staci: Like afraid of what people might think? Or of sickness? Or of a math test? Or of a mean girl or bully? Like those kinds of fearful?

Dannah: Well, yes, then. But the context of this verse had more to do with the Israelites than us. You see, God had to continually remind them, “Don’t be afraid! Haven’t I saved you before? I’ll do it again!” But those kinds of fears you just mentioned Staci, the ones we face, they’re important too, and we’re going to get to them. 

As we’ll see through Miriam’s story today, the Israelites were suffering in slavery. They were crying out to God for help. They were working so very hard in this land of Egypt.

Staci: Oh, more research on the pyramids, Dannah, did you know a lot of people believe that the Israelites built these pyramids but that may be a myth? The pyramids are not mentioned in the Bible. And when you put the timeline of history up against the timeline of the Bible, it doesn’t seem to match. So as much as your cartoon movies about Moses make it look like his people built these grand triangles, they probably didn’t. But they definitely did some other back breaking construction . . . maybe closer to . . . where were we last week?

Dannah: Zagazig. That makes sense since the Hebrews lived there, and that’s pretty far away. You did do your research, Staci. 

Staci: Why thank you. 

Dannah: You can imagine whatever work they did, they were worn out from it and really wanted their freedom. All they had left to hold on to was the promise that God would save them and lead them out of slavery. They needed to be strong! They needed to be courageous! And they needed to choose to trust that God would make good on His promise to save them!

But, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Staci, would you mind catching us up to speed on what has happened since we saw Miriam and her little baby brother Moses last?

Staci: Sure. Well, the next time we read about Miriam and her family in the book of Exodus, a lot of time has passed. In fact, the Bible says that very thing. Let me read: Exodus 2:23–24.

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

Dannah: Years passed! There it is. And they were working hard and groaning because they wanted their freedom. Hey, True Girl, did you notice the word “covenant”in this passage? 

Staci: Actually, that one flew right past me!

Dannah: A lot of time it does when we see it in the Bible. That’s because our modern English doesn’t make it easy for us to understand this word. But it’s an important word to know. Knowing what it means will help us learn something about Miriam. So, the simplest definition I can give you is this: a covenant is an unbreakable promise of commitment.

While a covenant is kind of an agreement, it’s also a form of unfailing love. The love of God is so strong that He promises to still love and care for us no matter what. A covenant promise is unbreakable. Nothing can stop a covenant-keeping God from taking care of His people. He will always, without fail, help them in their time of need—no matter what!

In fact, as part of the covenant God had made with the Israelites, He said He was going to make them into a great nation. I imagine sitting there in their slavery, they probably didn’t feel like the great nation God had promised. 

So, the fact that God was remembering His covenant when the people of Israel were crying out in agony, well, that is a really big deal. Because even though it didn’t seem like that, God still loved and cared for them, and he was about to put His plan into action.

Staci: That is good. That also means that whenever you’re struggling with fear or just something hard in your life, God wants to love and care for you, True Girl!

Dannah: So, so true. He is loving and caring for you and He is going to show up at just the right time. In fact, let’s get back to our Bible verse, so we can see how He showed up for the Israelites. See, God knew it was time to make good on His covenant promise. And guess what? Our girl, Miriam, was part of His plan to rescue the Israelites.

Staci: Now Dannah, what does the covenant promise for Israel have to do with Miriam’s courage? 

Dannah: Well, let’s zoom in on Miriam and her family to find out!

So, Moses has left Egypt. He ran away! He’s been living in the desert for forty years. It’s now been about eighty years since Miriam and her mom had put him into a basket to save his life. Eighty very long years!

And guess what, True Girl? Miriam’s now old enough to be your great-grandmother!

Now, it’d be easy by then to give up, don’t you think? To stop being a girl of faithful obedience to God. I mean, she was still a slave, as an old lady! Is Miriam still that courageous girl we met by the Nile?

Yep! And she’s got more courageous moments to come in her life—old as she is! 

You see, since Miriam grew up in a house of faith. She believed in the covenantpromise of God. That meant she trusted God to take care of her even though things looked really bad . . . and kept looking bad . . . for eighty years! Miriam still believed God’s promise that He would come through for her and for her people.

Here’s the thing: Miriam didn’t just have some faith. She had a whole lot of it. In fact, Exodus 15:20 tells us that Miriam was a prophetess. 

Staci: Prophetess? What’s a prophetess?

Dannah: Well, a prophetess means that Miriam was a woman who spoke God’s Word. She loved God’s Word. She considered what He said to be true. And she knew about God’s covenant promise. She taught other people what she learned about it. Why? Because she believed it!

To be called a prophetess was a very special honor! In fact, there are not many women in the Bible who got to use this title. Only eight, actually!

Staci: So, you’re telling me that because Miriam believed the promises of God so much and because she trusted Him to be faithful to them, He called her to be a prophetess? How cool is that?!

Dannah: That’s right. Not only did God call Miriam to be a prophetess, but He also called her to do something else extra special. Before I tell you what that was, we have to fast-forward in the story. Staci, can you help me summarize?

Staci: Absolutely! So . . .

God appointed Moses as the leader of Israel and told him to stop hiding in the desert and go back to Egypt, where his brother Aaron would be his helper. And well, he did.

Dannah: Then Moses gave Pharaoh a message from God: “Set My people free!” but mean old Pharaoh wouldn’t do it!

Staci: God sent a whole bunch of bad things to show the evil ruler that the One True God was more powerful than he was. We call those bad things the Ten Plagues. We’re talking the Nile River turning to blood . . . frogs . . . flies . . . it’s a whole thing! 

Pharaoh could either let God’s special people go or face more plagues.

Dannah: And these plagues weren’t just bad, they were terrible. God sent the plagues to prove His power so that Pharaoh would release the Israelite slaves. Each awful plague was a chance for Pharaoh to see God’s power and let the Israelites go free. Each one got worse and worse, but Pharaoh still would not let God’s people go.

Staci: That’s right. In fact, God had to bring death to every Egyptian house. Sadness covered the land. The grief Pharaoh felt when he found his own lifeless son was enough. That’s when Pharaoh finally said to the Israelites, “Go! Get out of here!”

Dannah: At last, after 400 years of slavery, the ruler of Egypt gave permission for the Israelites to live in freedom. They packed their suitcases.

Staci: Suitcases? 

Dannah: Okay, it was probably baskets that they filled, not suitcases. But whatever it was, they went so fast that they didn’t even let the bread rise before they baked it. They had to leave before Pharaoh changed his mind, so they grabbed the flat bread and ran!

But there was just one little problem. There were a lot of Israelites, and it took organization to get a group of people moving. Have you ever noticed that when you’re on a field trip?

Staci: Yes. 

Dannah: They were in a big, fat hurry! I mean, they had to pack their entire house and family up, and leave that very night. They did not want to risk Pharoah changing his mind! 

And well, that’s a lot of people to organize. So, who was in charge of this extra-large field trip? Well, that brings us back to the prophetess discussion from earlier.

Staci: Oh good, I was wondering when we were gonna get back to that?

Dannah: Miriam, the prophetess, was chosen by God to be one of the three people to lead the Israelites to freedom!

Now, we’ve talked a lot about how Moses, the main leader, was Miriam’s brother. But quiz time: who was that third leader?

Staci: Ooo, Ooo, I know! It was Aaron, right?

Dannah: You got it!

Moses was the main leader, Aaron was God’s high priest, second in command to Moses, and Miriam was a prophetess. Now, even though they were leaders, there were probably still times that Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were scared out of their minds! 

Maybe it was when Miriam was sitting by the Nile River, hoping baby Moses didn’t wake up. Or maybe it was when Moses was running to the desert away from Egypt, hoping soldiers would not chase after him. Aaron may have felt it when his long-lost brother showed up and said something like, “Hey, do you wanna help everyone bust out and be free?” One way or another, we know that at some point in their lives, all three of these leaders experienced fear, just like we do!

Staci: And just like Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, we can’t let fear determine how we respond to life. We’ve got to have courage!

Dannah: That’s right! And true courage is not a feeling. You don’t have to feel courageous to be courageous. Anyone who tells you otherwise is telling a big, fat lie!

In fact, if we think back to our definition of courage from our first courage quest, true courage is doing the right thing even when it’s hard or you are afraid.

Staci: That’s right. Amen and amen again! When God calls us to do something, we can’t rely on how we feel about doing it. No matter how afraid we are, we must trust God and simply do the right thing. 

Okay, we made it to our courage lesson of the day. Let’s review the first two: Courage lesson #1: A courageous girl is obedient.

Dannah: Yes, it’s not always the big extraordinary tasks that end up being courageous memories. Sometimes it’s the little things—like babysitting for mom!

Staci: And Courage lesson #2: A courageous girl learns from godly people.

Dannah: Yeah. Do you think it is an accident that all three of them were from the same family? A family of exceptional faith? I sure don’t! I think they watched their mom and dad and learned faith—and courage– from them.

Staci: I agree. I mean three people full of faith all in one family? 

Okay, here’s courage lesson #3: a courageous girl chooses to trust God.

Dannah: Yup. When those plagues got worse and worse, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam continued to trust God. They didn't back down or let fear consume their decisions. They remained obedient, or we might not be sitting here by the pyramids with Hector and Carl today celebrating that God rescued the Israelites from slavery!

You want to know something super cool about today’s lesson? When we trust God and have the courage to obey Him, He sometimes trusts us to lead. I wonder what exciting things God is preparing you to do, True Girl, as you grow in your courageous obedience. God will entrust more and more to you as you trust Him.

Staci: Who knows what God has in store for your life. Just remember, we all feel afraid sometimes, but don’t let your fear keep you from doing what God wants you to do in your life.

Dannah: You know someone else that chose to be courageous even when she was afraid?

Mary, you know, the mother of Jesus! We actually have a new Bible study coming out on her life next year.

Well, when an angel of the Lord came to Mary to tell her she was going to be Jesus’ mom, she was afraid. The angel told her not to be afraid and that he was bringing good news . . . not bad news. Her fear was putting lies into her heart.

Let me tell you, you cannot always trust your emotions. Especially fear. So, what should you do if you feel afraid?

Well, Isaiah 35:4 tells us, this should sound familiar to you:

Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you."

Staci: Hey, that’s our Bible verse from earlier today! Now I see the connection!

We need to remind ourselves and others when we’re afraid, to choose to trust God so that we can be strong! No matter how important or big our fears may seem, it’s important that we don’t listen to them. 

Dannah: That’s right! Instead, say something maybe even out loud to your own fearful heart to remind yourself that God—your covenant God– will help you! You can trust Him. 

Sometimes you might feel afraid over something little—like raising your hand to share your opinion in class. But He is with you to even face those kinds of things. God will give you courage!

Let me remind you, the small stuff is good practice for when He wants you to obey and do really big things, more frightening things. If you keep obeying Him, you’ll find that He asks you to do bigger and more important stuff. Being courageous enables God to trust you as a leader, just like He did with Miriam, Moses, and Aaron. 

How cool is that?

Staci: That is so cool! 

Understanding my Bible never gets old!

But you know what is gettin’ old, that camel of yours, Dannah! Do you think Hector’s about ready to get moving now?

Dannah: Hmm, I don’t know, let’s see. Can you give me a hand, Staci? You pull, I’ll push on this end. (Grunting.) Come on, Hector!

Staci: Ready! On the count of three.

Dannah & Staci: One . . . two . . . Three! 

Dannah: C’mon Hector, hup hup!

He’s up! He’s up!

There ya go buddy!

Staci: Finally, now we can get a move on! I wanna see more of the pyramids!

Dannah: Same here. Let’s just hope old Hector doesn’t have to take a nap. We’ve got places to go and things to see!

Claire: Well, True Girl, I hope you enjoyed our camel ride, or I guess our camel nap! 

Courage lesson #3 is a good one: keep choosing to trust God, even when you feel afraid! Choose to be courageous even when things get hard or scary or you wait a super long time for God to answer your prayer.

Is there something in your life you’re waiting for? Be courageous. Keep trusting God, True Girl!

Now, if you’re enjoying this season of the True Girl podcast, you would love our Miriam Bible study! Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage by Dannah Gresh is designed to help you and your mom dive deeply into the Word of God. We want you to develop a steady love for Scripture as you learn even more about Miriam’s courageous life so you can be courageous too. 

You can learn more about the Miriam Bible Study and our other resources at MyTrueGirl.com.

And don’t forget to tune in for the next episode on the True Girl podcast, because our next destination is definitely one you won’t want to miss! Here’s a hint:

(Sound of the ocean waves)

Any ideas? Tune in next week to find out.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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