What’s in Your Basket?

“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”  Psalm 33:22 (NIV)

            I recently packaged a gift for someone and used a basket as a container.  With shredded paper for fill, a tulle wrapping, and a bow tied around it, it was a convenient way to give a gift that was bulky to package and wouldn’t fit in a box.  Baskets are also convenient for serving snacks and breads at parties.  We attended a party last weekend and that’s the way the hostess served her chips and rolls.  Their sizes and shapes really made for a very attractive table.  Several years ago, I used a variety of baskets, mostly from the Dollar store, to decorate the walls in my kitchen. Baskets are versatile and popular.  But, have you ever thought about how they have been used in the Bible as part of life changing stories? 

            Jochebed put her baby Moses in a basket so that he would escape Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the Hebrew male babies. What trust in God she displayed! She must have sobbed as she placed her baby in that basket and set him out to sail in the crocodile infested Nile River, yet Moses was rescued by the princess and eventually grew up to be God’s instrument to deliver the Israelites.

            We also read two accounts of Jesus feeding crowds--4,000 and 5, 000 people-- using a few fish and loaves of bread. This miraculous multiplication even yielded leftovers! Where were the leftovers placed?  In baskets. 

            The New Testament book of Acts tells us that Paul escaped through a window because there were threats on his life. How? by placing himself in a basket and being lowered down a wall by his friends. The support of friends and the use of a basket led him to safety.

            Just in these three instances, baskets depict God’s provision. In Moses’ case, a basket was a trip to safety and rescue; in the feeding of thousands, baskets were a picture of God’s supply and abundance; and in Paul’s story, a basket was a means of escape and a refuge.  I don’t know what you have today that you need to place in a basket, but know that God is there handing one to you. Do you need to trust Him with something –a crisis, a relationship, or a decision?  Think of Jochebed and her faith as she placed her son in a basket and trusted God to care for him. Do you need to go to God as a place of safety and refuge and enlist prayer support from friends for a concern that is causing you anxiety?  Paul’s supportive friends and their use of a basket is an example for you of God’s watchful eye and faithfulness.  Maybe you have seen God’s provision in the past, meeting your needs, and maybe even giving you more than you asked for. Like the feeding of massive crowds, use that as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to meet your needs right now and know that His unfailing love rests upon you.

            Baskets are convenient and versatile containers. In God’s economy they are also creative pictures and provisions to show us that He cares for us-- in all circumstances, always. (c) Marilyn Nutter All rights reserved.

(Read the full accounts of these stories in Exodus 2 and following; Mark 6: 32-44; Mark 8: 1-9; and Acts 9: 23-25.)

Marilyn Nutter