Behind the story – Miriam’s Song

Fourteen years ago I wondered if I had misread God’s leading. I’d had dreams fulfilled and dreams withheld, and those that were still in the wait mode seemed like maybe they weren’t meant to be. Ever been there?

My only goal as a young woman was to marry and raise a family. I had no other expectations of life. To marry and have children was also the standard goal for the women of ancient times. So when I wrote Miriam’s Song, though the Bible doesn’t name a husband or children for her, I created them from men in Scripture. This is literary license, but it was also based on the culture of her day. If you read my story, please remember that this part came from my imagination based on culture. Her husband and children in my book are not named in Scripture. I hope my readers will always check the Scriptures for what actually happened. Biblical fiction is meant to point us back to God’s Word.

Loving my family at that time was my primary goal and still is. (My granddaughters are my kryptonite.) But God put within me a desire for more. I love His Word, and I love story, and the two came together years after my youngest son was born. Writing was a joy and at first a hobby, but eventually a dream that became a career.

Miriam, as we know from Scripture, also had dreams beyond her family life. She is known as a leader in Israel and a prophetess. A prophet is one who hears from God, so in some way, through a vision or a dream, she had to have heard from Him and then proclaimed His Word.

But as close as Miriam might have been to God as His prophetess, no one else living at that time came as close to Him as Moses did. The Bible tells us that God talked to Moses as one speaks to a friend, face to face. No one else had such a relationship then. But God made a way for us to have what Moses had. He who loved us enough to send Jesus to rescue us from our sins and this present evil age operated differently with the people of the Old Testament. Everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus in the New.

Walking and talking with God had been normal for Adam and Eve before sin entered the world. But Miriam lived after the Fall and God’s holiness would not allow Him to mix with humanity’s sin. That’s the whole picture behind the tabernacle He had Moses build in the wilderness. It’s why He set up boundaries around the mountain so no one would die if they came too close to His holiness. God’s holiness was revered by the ancient Hebrews. They feared Him for good reason.

Today, because of Jesus, we can come near to God and He to us, but back then it was not so. I hope I conveyed that for readers of Miriam’s Song. It was my goal, but whether I succeeded or not will depend on each person’s connection to the story. If my book does not give you that sense of who God is, please go back to the Bible and study His glory and holiness for yourself. It is worth understanding.

Writing books was a dream fulfilled for me, and I am grateful that God has allowed me this career. I enjoy getting to know my readers and I recognize many names on social media who have remained faithful readers through the years. I am grateful for your support.

But we live life with every dream in an open hand, don’t we? Miriam had to. She couldn’t know if slavery would ever end. She couldn’t trade places with Moses and climb the mountain to see God’s glory. She couldn’t know if she would live to see the Promised Land.

God knows. And that’s what I hope readers take away from Miriam’s Song. God can do anything, but will He do it in our lifetime? Will He change the circumstances we long to see changed? Will our life have meaning beyond what we can see?

I say He can and someday He will. And I think Miriam knew that too. In God’s perfect timing, we will see and know. Until then, I hope you enjoy her story. And if you can relate, great. If not, thank you for reading it anyway.

Be blessed.

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