Narrative of Harriet Tubman’s life (birth, slavery, abuse and the blow that was the impetus for her seeking God to direct the path to FREEDOM)
The Storytelling :Harriet
“They thought I was stupid! Thought I was dumb! I could hear others whispering about the plantation. Talking about me falling asleep and having these hallucinations of freedom. Made me believe that a slave was all I was ever gonna be. I was never a slave though they enslaved my body. They were wrong! Minty! Araminta Ross snap out of it they would say. But I saw visions. Just as sure is there is a God in the heavens, I knew even when I was a little girl that I was a child of God, and my God was free, so I was gonna be just like my Jesus, emancipated. I saw the sunlight beaming on my fingers when I reached the promise land and I knew it was only the Lord who led me there. Then suddenly I also knew I had to go back and bring others to Freedom, Freedom was calling us home!
These are the words that I imagine Minty would say. Minty short for Araminta Ross also known as Harriet, also known as Moses, a name she adopted to honor her mother when she reached the promised land, Freedom.
Today there are scores of books, short stories, poems and plays written about Harriet Tubman. Streets and museums are named for her too.
Every year students perform in assemblies and give presentations honoring Harriet Tubman. Recently, America had the grand wonderful opportunity to see “Harriet” the movie on the big screen.
BUT HERE’S THE THING!
Harriet Tubman’s biographies speak of emancipation from physical slavery but in order to successfully carry out the plans of escape from the oppressive conditions and the place of bondage, she had to yield to the voice of her God. This could only occur if one has an established relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. And though she was illiterate and could not read or write. She heard enough from her parents about God’s holy words such that it activated great faith during those perilous times. Spiritual liberation through Christ is true freedom for it is the genesis of understanding your identity and purpose. Without it you may be living but you are NOT living in the abundance of your heritage as a son or daughter of the Most High.
For one can be physically free yet in bondage spiritually. True liberation comes only when the spirit has been set free. The living Word teaches us in John 8:36 that if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed. Therefore, we as believers and members of the body of Christ have the knowledge and understanding that spiritual emancipation is found in Jesus.
Year as year, Black History comes and goes and though we acknowledge black heroes and heroines of the past, is that enough? What can be glean from the stories of old, we must be not just hearers of the words but also doers.
Seems to me Harriet was telling us something, but more importantly she was demonstrating something. Get Free, Stay Free and Set Free
What lessons can we glean from the life of Harriet Tubman?
II Corinthians 3:3 (The Passion Translation)
3 As a result of our ministry, you are living letters written by Christ, not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God—not carved onto stone tablets[b] but on the tablets of tender hearts.
Lesson One: Your strongest and most important relationship should be with Jehovah….
Divine Connection:
Connection= relationship with the Father (our Creator, relational God)
Yahweh and Jehovah
Creator of the heavens and earth and mankind (we were created for relationship)
Isaiah 61:1(the spirit of the lord is upon me and has anointed me)
Divine Connection gives us access to the anointing
(These are times of consecration, being armed with authority, appointment, assignment
Anointed (consecrated,)
1.authority (prominence, excellence, permission, courage, power)
2.appointment (space, time, place)
3.assignment (To whom am I assigned? And the who?)
Harriet’s opened up herself during those times of prayer to receive
great authority to free slaves ( she moved with power and precision)
Appointed during this time in history because there was a revival going on throughout the South. She was assigned to folks who looked just like her. Her ministry of liberation started with her own family.
Harriet had that connection that’s why she found herself praying without ceasing, in physical bondage and kneeing in the fields praying, in the kitchen laboring for others praying, being abused and ridiculed but praying, walking around the plantation, praying. On the road as a freedom seeker there was praying, down dusty roads praying, over creeks praying, praying, twisting and bending bodies and tired feet travailing through forest lands. Her life was consumed with prayer.
Our challenge TODAY is be as courageous and connected to God such that we too are to be consumed with the Father. During these times we are to be firmly planted and connected to the Father, who gives us authority to move forward.
Examples:
Authority – Workplace
Appointed- Urban areas - gangs, political activism, and cultural awareness or rural and suburban
Assigned -Women and Children
Do some self-excavation and hear from God
Lesson Two: Divine Protection is supreme protection
El Sabaoth ( sab be oth)-Lord of Hosts who sends his angelic army to protect us because they are mission focused and they shield against the enemy of God’s anointed.
Protection-shield, covers, it is proactive and defends against the enemy of your mind, body and soul.
Protection builds confidence
Protection allows one to take chances, take risks
Protection gives hope
Imagine traveling at midnight with women, men, children and sometimes babies through back woods, forests, across rivers, through creeks and squeaking by super aggressive dogs trained to sniff out escape routes, His divine protection is enough. However, God is so gracious and merciful, he understands the ways of the enemy, and permits Harriet to become strapped with a shotgun. Knowledge plus Understanding plus practice equals wisdom.
Every trip safely made to freedom provided a pillar of hope for Harriet
Every trip safely made to freedom stirred her confidence not in herself but in Christ the hope glory
Every trip safely made to freedom increased her reliance on God.
Can we say the same of ourselves? What does “If God is for us who can be against us look like?”
Is it knowing God protects us when we need to address an offense made by leadership in our workplace?
Is it being courageous enough to address inequities on our communities knowing God protects us when we not only see it but are also experiencing it?
Is it being hopeful enough to know the Great Protector will shield us in our travels, in our challenging conversations, in our calling out unrighteous behavior in our communities, even among elected officials. What have we taken a chance on lately with the hope and evidence that if we are connected to God, he will Protect us
Lesson Three- Divine Direction will always lead me in the best direction
Divine Direction: El Roi, is the shepherd… leading Harriet and all those who dared to join her in the pilgrimage to the free land. Sought the voice and vision of God to lead her in the right direction.
There were times on the route to freedom that Harriet had to stop, pray, seek God clearly and this meant diverting from the usual way. It meant leaning not to her own understanding even when previous times that way, brought her safely to freedom. Some paths may appear safe but do we know what lurks around the corner. It meant bending her ear to the voice of the Lord. God’s ways are higher than our ways so we trust that His way and direction is the best way.
So what about us?
Have we become so comfortable and complacent in our lives that we continue to follow the previous route to safety when God is clearly saying NOT that way.. THIS WAY. Trust my direction.
Do we trust him when God says that career pathway is not the right one?
Do we trust him and his direction when he says yes I know you are a teacher but that’s safe. I don’t want you to function only as a teacher in ministry ,I want to evangelize as well.
Do we trust God’s direction when he says I know your mother, cousins and uncles and aunts leave on that side of town but I need you on this side of town because there is a community of people to whom I have assigned you.
God is calling us to take a deeper and closer look into our hearts and minds and find alignment with Him.
He yearns Divine Connection so that Yahweh can give us Divine Protection and Divine Direction in our decision making
Araminta Ross was a liberator who just happened to be an enslaved African living in a small town, in a developing country, on a certain continent, on this planet called earth. She found her purpose in the earth through her relationship with God…This strong reliance on God gave her freedom from not only physical bondage but she knew well before emancipation who she was as a human being who WASN'T born to be enslaved.
Through prayer, consecration , obedience , courage and power Harriet led over 300 slaves to freedom. So on today we must ask ourselves After I am free, how do I stay free and who do I go back set free!