Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your house may be rid of the frogs…” “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Exodus 8:9,10 NV
When we understand what God wants to teach us, we will have a completely different picture of His Word. For example, when His children were captive in Egypt, God wanted to help them. How? God sent a series of plagues to soften Pharaoh’s heart. One of these plagues was an infestation of frogs. God did not leave one inch of Egypt untouched: frogs were in the kitchen, beds, oven – everywhere.
I can imagine Pharaoh’s wife saying, “I am done! I am sick of all these frogs.” Quite possibly Pharao listened to his wife. Then he came to Moses and asked him to get rid of the frogs. “Pray to your God,” said Pharaoh. Moses replied, “I leave you the honor of setting the time for me to pray.” In other words, “I will give you the honor to set the time for God to remove the frogs from your life.” He was saying, “Just tell me when. God is ready, God is able, and God is powerful. Just tell me when you want this to happen, Pharaoh.”
I consider Pharaoh’s answer odd. He says, “Tomorrow.” Think about that. God was ready to take the frogs, but Pharaoh’s answer was, “Not today, tomorrow.” Amazing! Yet how easily we perhaps do the same. “Lord, I can deal with this situation. Tomorrow I’ll ask for your help.”
Tomorrow.
Are we allowing God to deal with the “frogs” that are plaguing us? I am thinking of things such as harmful emotions we are willing to live with rather than turning them over to God today: worry, fear, an unforgiving spirit, envy, sadness, shame, guilt, jealousy, bitterness, or resentment. Perhaps we try to solve those problems by procrastinating or avoiding the issue. Avoiding tuning them over to God.
Today Christ wants to take away the “frogs” that plague us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses… Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15,16 NIV).
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