The Midwives My entire adult life these hands have held Hebrew babies, but now to carry my own child seems too good, too great. How faithful Yahweh is! When Puah and I went before Pharaoh – afraid for our lives – I didn’t expect to leave his presence with my life, yet we not onlyContinue reading “Women of Hope: Shiphrah, Puah, and Anna”
Author Archives: Shelley Linn Johnson
Women of Hope: Esther
Almighty God, You have guided my steps for all my years, leading me into my cousin’s loving home after my parents’ death, placing me – an orphan exile – in the palace as part of the king’s harem, and granting me favor with so many. So, I choose to trust You now, Father in Heaven,Continue reading “Women of Hope: Esther”
Women of Hope: Ruth
I knew that crossing the Jordan River to leave Moab behind would label me as “foreigner” and “dreaded Moabite.” I knew I’d have much to learn in this new place and that as widows our lives would be hard. But I never expected the people of Bethlehem to be so distant and… dangerous. I feelContinue reading “Women of Hope: Ruth”
Women of Hope: Rahab
My heart won’t stop pounding. My breath comes in short spurts – I can no longer see the spies running in the distance. Oh, that the God who split the Sea will keep His spies out of the sight of the soldiers hunting them. Of course He will. What a day! The men who enteredContinue reading “Women of Hope: Rahab”
Women of Hope: Tamar
Soon I will no longer be able to hide that I am with child. What will I do? It’s bad enough to be sent shamefully back to the house of my father. A woman should live with her husband’s family – even if he no longer lives. My father. He will not live with anymoreContinue reading “Women of Hope: Tamar”
Women of Hope: Sarah
I really thought I had figured out how Yahweh would fulfill His promise for Abraham and me to have a son. It seemed like such a great idea; it even appeared to work. Hagar conceived a son, but the jealousy, the regret – they have been eating me alive on the inside ever since. ItContinue reading “Women of Hope: Sarah”
Women of Hope: Eve
How could I have done this? I had, quite literally, the most perfect life. No stress. No pain. No death. Oh, to walk again through the garden with my Maker – I already miss His nearness, His loving gaze. That serpent. He picked up on my wandering eye, my inner thoughts about that tree. SoContinue reading “Women of Hope: Eve”
This Hope: Christ’s Return and Our Resurrection
Sometimes we only know what we know. For instance, at the turn of the millennium, I took part in a study of Revelation – a book of the Bible I knew little about because I’d never really been around anyone willing to do much teaching on it. Let’s face it – its imagery is moreContinue reading “This Hope: Christ’s Return and Our Resurrection”
This Hope: The Promise of Heaven
Once in a while, something happens that forever changes us – it becomes one of those epic life markers where everything we do and have done is categorized as “before ___” or “after ___.” We’ve all lived through a recent epical moment: the pandemic. My mind automatically separates memories as either before or after theContinue reading “This Hope: The Promise of Heaven”
This Hope: An Anchor for Our Souls
Stories abound of boats that survive hurricanes – even when the same storm strips every tree of their leaves and branches, even when buildings are leveled and living creatures perish. The common difference maker between a sunken ship and one that stays afloat? The anchor. When a storm comes barrelling toward her boat, the skipperContinue reading “This Hope: An Anchor for Our Souls”