Exodus 2 - What God did while Moses slept

Most of the time when Moses is mentioned we think of...

Moses telling Pharaoh, "Let My people go out of Egypt."

Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness.

 

When does the Bible tell us about Moses falling asleep? 

Before Moses was born, the reigning Pharaoh was threatened by the growing population of Jews in his territory. So he told the Jewish midwives that any infant sons born into Jewish families should be killed. Of course, they ignored Pharaoh and made some excuse as to why Jewish boys continued to show up. (Exodus 1)

But it was a treacherous time for Jewish families who had baby boys. Moses' mother hid him at home for three months. At that point she made a wicker basket, waterproofed it, and hid the floating bassinet in reeds along the shore of the Nile. Moses' older sister Miriam was put in charge of watching over the basket. Whether before or during his time in the basket, Moses obviously slept through much of his family's stress.

Pharaoh's own daughter discovered a crying baby in the basket and--to make a short story even shorter--adopted him into Pharaoh's household. The deliverer of Israel was raised in the very courts of their primary enemy. (Exodus 2)

What was God doing while Moses slept? Protecting him. And God used an expected human agents--his mother and sister--to protect him. He even used the least expected human agent to shield Moses from Pharaoh's plans of infanticide.

Lord above, 
Use us to help and protect others, even when they may be oblivious to it. When we've done all we can, we honor You as the one that ultimately completes that You're still the one to complete Your plans. In Jesus' name, Amen.