God of justice,
five daughters came before Moses
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
They stood where few women stood,
with courage on their lips,
asking not for privilege,
but for promise.
They longed for inheritance,
not to be blotted out
from among their people.
And You, Lord, heard their plea.
You declared their cause was right,
and You gave them a portion
in the land of promise.
O God, how beautiful is Your justice.
You see the overlooked.
You hear the unheard.
You preserve the names
that men might forget.
Teach me to trust
that no faithfulness is wasted,
no name is erased,
when You are my Father.
Let me stand with courage,
like Zelophehad’s daughters,
to claim what You have promised,
to believe that Your mercy
reaches even to me.
Then You called Moses to the mountain,
to glimpse the land from afar.
He could see it,
but not enter.
The weight of his disobedience
barred his steps,
yet Your grace still let him behold
the beauty of promise.
Lord, remind me that sin is costly.
Even leaders stumble,
even the faithful fall.
Keep me from pride,
from presuming on Your holiness.
And when discipline comes,
help me to trust
that even in loss,
You are good.
But Moses’ heart was not bitter.
He prayed for the people,
that they would not be sheep without a shepherd.
And You chose Joshua,
a man filled with the Spirit,
to lead them on.
O Lord, give me such a heart
to care more for others than myself,
to pray for the flock
even in my own disappointment.
Make me like Joshua too,
ready to lead with courage,
yet humble enough to depend on You.
Father, this chapter speaks of endings and beginnings,
of discipline and grace,
of inheritance preserved
and leadership passed on.
So too, in my life,
there will be losses and gains,
closed doors and new callings.
Teach me to receive each with open hands,
trusting that You write the story,
and that Your promises never fail.
In the name of Jesus,
the greater Joshua,
the Shepherd who never leaves His flock,
Amen.