A Courageous Girl Needs God's Mercy

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time!

You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus while we travel to special locations in Egypt.And today might be the most special of all. Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are on Mt. Sinai! 

They’ve been guiding us through a study on the life of Miriam, who grew up in Egypt. We’ve been on a Quest for Courage. This season of the True Girl podcast has been based on a True Girl Bible study for tweens titled Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage. 

I hope you’re feeling more courageous by now, but if you’re like me you still have questions. Like this great big one: What if I mess up? You see, we’ve been learning that courage has a lot to do with being obedient to God. Well, sometimes I have trouble with that. If you do, too, you’re in the right place.

Let’s listen in as Dannah and Staci bring us Courage Lesson #5. This is Episode 6, our very last in the season titled, “Even Courageous Girls Need Mercy!” 

Hey, we should probably keep it down, it’s the middle of the night on Mt. Sinai. Here’s Staci!

Staci Rudolph: Hey, Dannah. Wake up!

Dannah Gresh: No, Hector. No. My nap is not over.

Staci: Hector? Dannah, I’m not your old camel! Wake up! It’s me, Staci.

Dannah: What? Staci. Oh, sorry. For a minute I was back at the pyramids, and I thought . . .

Staci: I know, you thought Hector, your camel, was waking you up.

Dannah: Yeah. Well, after that long hike up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night, I needed a nap. (Yawn.) But I’m good now. 

Staci: Good. 

Dannah: Sure hope that sunrise will be worth staying up most of the night and sleeping on these rocks!

Staci: That’s why I woke you. Look, it’s almost sunrise. All the hikers are starting to wake up because it’s almost time.

Dannah: Then, we better hurry and do courage lesson #5. Hello, True Girls.Um, I guess we just need our Bibles.

Staci: Here you go.

Dannah: You thought of everything.

Staci: Sunrise happens fast; we’ve got to roll!

Okay, so True Girl, this is Mt. Sinai in Egypt. Its red rocks and beautiful sunrises make it a marvelous place for hikers to come to see the rising sun. It’s tradition to leave your hotel at 9 p.m., drive here, hike half the night, take a quick siesta, and then watch the glory of the morning sunrise on the rock.

Now, my research tells me this may or most likely may not be the same Mt, Sinai where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But the name and the hike drew us to this expedition as our last stop on our Quest for Courage. 

Dannah, hurry with the lesson!

Dannah: Today, as we study our last lesson on the life of Miriam and the story of the Exodus, we see that Miriam is not having much fun either. We will learn that this courageous girl who grew into a courageous woman was also a not-so-perfect human. 

Staci: Like all of us, Miriam was sinful. Even courageous people make mistakes and need God’s mercy! 

Dannah: Okay, super big brain work is required for what I’m about to tell you! Some people don’t learn this until they’re in high school or college, but you, my True Girl, are ready. 

Here it is: the story of the Israelites’ rescue from Egyptian slavery isn’t in the Bible just so that we have a good record of history. There’s another reason God put it in Scripture for us, it’s there to help us learn about our need to be rescued from sin. 

Just like God’s people were enslaved by Pharaoh, every single one of us can be enslaved or controlled by sin. But the good news is that just like God freed the Israelites, He wants you and me to be free too!

Today we will learn about a big, bad sin in Miriam’s life. As we do, we’ll really be learning about our own battle with sin. But remember: God loves to set His people free.

Staci: In fact, I know just the Bible verse for today, Dannah.Right here in the New Testament. Romans 6, starting in verse 7.

For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin. 

Boom! Christ’s death set us free from sin! And listen to verses 15–18:

Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves to sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. (Rom. 6:15–18)

Dannah: Those are perfect verses, Staci! Each of us has to choose if we will be a slave to sin or if we will obey God’s rules for living. 

Now, the verses you just read tell us that being a slave to sin results in death. But choosing to live under God’s authority brings good things—like right living.

How we live always produces consequences. Sometimes they are bad. For example, if you disobeyed your parents because you wanted more screen time, you might lose your screen. If you fight with your sibling, you might both get a time-out. Those are bad consequences.

Staci: But consequences can also be good. If you wake up before sunrise in the cool mountain air to help your cohost teach a lesson in courage, she might make you a cup of hot steaming tea to warm you up!

Dannah: Aw, Staci! You brought a thermos of hot water! Thank you. That’s a good consequence of faithfully walking up this mountain with you.

Staci: Yes.

Whatever is ruling your life will usually show up in the form of consequences. If you are enslaved by or controlled by sin, you’ll have bad stuff happening. If you are obeying God because He is ruling your life, many times there are good rewards for that!

So, what’s ruling your life: being a slave to sin or obeying God? 

I hope you find that God rules your life, but sometimes we all struggle with sin being in charge. As we continue learning about Miriam, we’ll see that even though she was no longer a slave to Pharaoh, she still had a sin problem. Like us, she needed to choose what ruled her life.

Dannah: Let me set the scene. You’ve probably heard of the Ten Commandments and might already know the story of God giving them to Moses. You might also know that Aaron and Miriam were in charge of the Israelites while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God. One of those commandments was this: “You must not have any other god but me.” 

That’s Exodus 20:3

Here’s where we have a problem. While Moses was talking to God, the Israelites built a golden calf to worship. And they partied!

Why? Well, maybe it was because they had not heard from God in a long time. He was up on that mountain with Moses. But also—and this is important—they were comparing themselves to other people. Everyone else seemed to have idols made out of gold. They wanted one, too! So, after they begged a whole lot, Aaron actually helped them make one. When Moses came down from the mountain and confronted them, Miriam and Aaron were angry.

This is where we find ourselves in Miriam’s story today. We read about what happened in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Here’s the basics.

Moses was God’s prophet. God chose him and he spoke for God. For some reason while Moses was up on that mountain, and Miriam and Aaron had some great authority, this became difficult for them. 

Staci: Can you say sibling rivalry? It’s always difficult for us to make room for other people to be first. But when it’s a brother or sister, well, it can be even more difficult. 

Dannah: You see, because God has chosen Moses to be the main leader, when Miriam and Aaron questioned Moses’s authority, God was mad.

Staci: So, when this conflict arose, God gathered Miriam, Aaron, and Moses together, just like your mom or dad might do if epic sibling rivalry broke out in your house. Then, God had to make a decision about who was right. Moses, or his brother and sister. God told them clearly that even though Aaron was the high priest and Miriam was a prophetess, Moses was in charge! He was the only one who got to speak to God directly.

Dannah: Now, what happened next is 100% pure consequence! Miriam got a terrible skin disease called leprosy! Why did she get that disease? Because she was living in slavery to her sin. Sin always has consequences.

Staci: Now, wait a second! Both Miriam and Aaron grumbled against Moses. Why didn’t Aaron get punished too?

Dannah: Well, most people think Miriam was the one who started talking bad about Moses first. If you read all of the book of Exodus, you’ll learn that Aaron was not a very strong leader. Even though he was the one who usually talked to Pharaoh for Moses, Aaron was typically afraid to speak up. 

Staci: That’s how the people ended up with a golden calf to worship. Aaron would not tell them “no.”

Dannah: It sure had something to do with it.

Now, Miriam was not afraid to say and do bold things. 

Staci: That’s how her baby brother ended up in the care of his mother instead of an Egyptian princess for the first couple of years or so of his life.

Dannah: Yep! And here’s an important lesson, sometimes our biggest strengths can quickly become our biggest weaknesses if we aren’t careful. I think that’s exactly what happened with Miriam. Normally, it was a good thing that she had the courage to speak up, but not this time! Now, she was sinfully talking without thinking. 

Staci: Um, well, I’ve never done that!

Dannah: Okay, is that sarcasm I hear in your voice, Staci.

Staci: That or it’s what my voice sounds like after sleeping a couple hours on rocks! 

Dannah: Well, when Miriam got leprosy, it was God essentially putting her in a time-out.

Now, this just goes to show that everyone makes mistakes. Everyone sins—even the courageous people we read about in the Bible. We all need God’s mercy if we want to be free from our slavery to sin! 

Mercy is love and compassion for someone who does not deserve it.And at this point in our story, Miriam needed some love and compassion from God.

Staci: This is a great time to insert today’s courage lesson, Dannah. May I?

And your tea is finished steeping!

Dannah: Yummmm! That’s gonna make for a perfect sunrise.

Staci: Okay, let’s be sure we have our lesson finished before that sunrise. 

In review:

Courage lesson #1: A courageous girl is obedient

Courage Lesson #2: A courageous girl learns obedience from other godly people.

Courage Lesson #3: A courageous girl trusts God.

Courage Lesson #4: A courageous girl worships or glorifies God.

And here it is, Courage Lesson #5 from the life of Miriam:Courageous people need mercy too!

Dannah: Yep, so if you’ve needed God’s compassion and love because you forget to be courageously obedient, learn from others, trust God, and worship Him . . . you’re just like Miriam. If you need God’s compassion and love because you sin, made mistakes in your life, there’s mercy for you!

Staci: Our heavenly Father is such a good, loving, and wonderful God that He offers us the mercy we need. While there are consequences when we mess up and sin, He doesn’t punish us to the full degree or amount that we deserve. It was because of His mercy that Miriam was healed and allowed back into the Israelite camp. 

Doesn’t that just make ya want to celebrate?

Dannah: Yeah, a whole lot!

Because most people who got leprosy back then never returned because they were too contagious and dangerous to the rest of the people.

But God loved Miriam all the time, no matter what, so He healed her. 

She was a slave to her sin and had to face the consequences, but God had mercy on her to set her free. Again!

Staci: True Girl, the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that we all sin. So, I know you sin. I do too. Like Miriam, does pride, jealousy, or selfishness ever get the better of you?

Here’s a verse you need:

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9)

You do not have to be a slave to your sin. Jesus died on the cross to set us free from sin and death. When you sin, confess your sin to God. He will forgive you. That’s mercy.

A courageous girl needs mercy! It’s courageous to admit our sin. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. 

One thing that is helpful to me, is to confess it to an adult in your life. Let’s look at another verse.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16

I love this verse, and it’s one that I really try to remember. You know, when I’m struggling with something or having a problem with sin, Dannah, you’re somebody I talk to about it sometimes. 

Dannah: That always makes me feel trusted and loved, and I love getting the opportunity to hear that confession and advise you. 

So, if you’re feeling like you might be afraid to tell your mom or somebody about something you are struggling with, they would be there with honor to help you with that. I promise. 

Staci: Absolutely. And if we’re honest, sometimes it is hard to confess our sin to a person because we find it embarrassing to admit we are wrong. We don’t want them to think badly of us. At other times, it just doesn’t feel good. In fact, it can feel very, very bad to tell someone else about a sin that you have never admitted. 

The feeling you have when you want to hide your sin is called shame. It’s one of the hardest of all our bad emotions to overcome. But just like you don’t have to be a slave to sin, you also don’t have to be a slave to shame. God’s mercy washes it away when you confess your sin.

When we confess our sins to each other, it helps us stop hurting and feeling bad about it. That’s one kind of healing we can experience. And the way you feel after you tell someone about sin and they pray with you is, well, in one word, it’s just wonderful.

Dannah: Speaking of wonderful, Staci are you almost done? Here it comes!

Staci: The sunrise over Egypt’s red rocks!

Wow!

Dannah: Only God could make something so bright and beautiful after a night that’s dark and cold.

Staci: Hey, Dannah! That’s kind of like how God’s mercy works. It makes the dark places of our lives bright and beautiful again!

Dannah: So true, Staci.

Staci: True Girl, I hope you’ve learned how to be courageous from Miriam. As we end, there’s just one super challenge I’d like you to consider. It may be the most courageous thing you’ll ever do, and I hope it will become a regular habit in your life.

Are you ready?Here goes.

If you feel a lot of shame about a sin you have committed, or if you have confessed something to God and still feel ashamed, I want you to tell someone. Your mom. Your dad. Your big sister. Your children’s pastor. These are people who love you, and God has placed them in your life to help you. Don’t forget that as you put on your courage!

You can decide who, but I want you to write them a note or just talk to them about the sin that makes you feel bad.

Dannah: That’s a really good idea, Stac!

It takes a lot of courage to tell someone about a sin in your life. But I hope you will learn to do it early. I started to confess my sin to God when I was very young. But I didn’t learn to confess my sins to other people until I was like in my twenties. I want you, my True Girl, to learn to do it sooner than I did.

So now, dear girl, go be courageous! Tell someone and ask them to help you. You will be amazed at how wonderful it feels to be brave about confessing your sin.

Staci: I pray that your whole life long, you are a girl of courage. I hope that every time you hear the story of Miriam and the Israelites being set free from Pharaoh, you also remember that Jesus has died to set us free from sin. His mercy is available to us anytime we courageously ask for it.

Dannah: Oh, so true, Staci. What a powerful truth to absorb, especially as you look at this beautiful sunrise. 

Hey, I’ve gotta you got any donuts to go with this tea?

Staci: Would I forget the donuts?

Claire: Well, True Girl, I hope you take Staci’s challenge seriously. Go tell someone you trust about any sins you’ve been struggling with or hiding. There really is God’s bright and beautiful mercy at the end of all that darkness. I promise.

Even though Miriam had so much to teach us about courage, it’s kind of comforting to know that she wasn’t perfect, isn’t it? Just like she did, we need God’s mercy!

If you want to learn more about the life of Miriam, get a copy of the True Girl Bible study. It’s called Miriam: Becoming a Girl of Courage. It was written by Dannah Gresh. You can get a copy at MyTrueGirl.com.

Well, go be courageous in Jesus’ name, True Girl!

That’s it for season seven of the True Girl podcast. Thanks for joining Dannah, Staci, and me on our Quest for Courage. 

This season of the True Girl podcast was written by Kindra Stanton and Dannah Gresh.

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

 

*Offers available only during the broadcast of the podcast season.