Devotions

remove this sure death

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 10:12-20

¹² Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”¹³ So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.¹⁴ The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and rested on the whole territory of Egypt; it had never been so very heavy with locusts before, nor will it ever be again.¹⁵ They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit from the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.¹⁶ Then Pharaoh quickly called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.¹⁷ So now, forgive my sin, please, this time, and plead with the LORD your God to remove this sure death from me.”¹⁸ So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.¹⁹ And the LORD turned a very strong sea wind, which removed the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.²⁰ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not send the sons of Israel away.

remove this sure death

As bad as all the other plagues were, the locust plague finally woke Pharaoh up. He started – just briefly – to realize the enduring consequences of his sin. He recognized that he had sinned against Moses and Aaron, not taking their ministry seriously. But he also recognized that he had sinned against the LORD. Looking out over a land darkened by the flood of insects, eating away all vegetation, he imagined the starvation that would follow this act. He also knew that every hollow eye would be looking toward him for having been too stubborn to prevent it. So he pleads for an instant recovery from this sure death. The LORD responded to this plea even though he knew that Pharaoh would once again renege on his promise to send the Israelites away.

The wages of sin is death. If we only knew what locust cloud is being blown toward our lives as a result of our rebellion and disobedience, we too, would be quickly pleading for the LORD to remove it. But we don’t usually get the visual demonstration that Pharaoh got. But even he failed to respond appropriately. What the LORD wants from us is to take him at his word. He wants to take us out of Egypt. But he also wants to take Egypt out of us. We are either Pharaoh or the sons of Israel. Pharaoh’s immediate desperate plea for God to remove the consequences of the plague from him was not enough. Many come to the LORD in desperation and seek the same thing. But what the LORD wants is our commitment to walk away from our old life in Egypt.

LORD, we see our lives darkened by the overwhelming swarm of a sure death. Give us the wisdom and courage to walk away from those lives, not to just ask you to fix them.

Posted in deliverance, discernment, holiness, perseverance, sanctification | Tagged Exodus 10 | 1 Comment

so that we may know

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 10:1-11

¹ Then the LORD told Moses, “Go see Pharaoh, because I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may show these, my signs, among them,² and in order that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have humiliated the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, so that you may know that I am the LORD.”³ So Moses and Aaron saw Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Send my people away, so that they may serve me.⁴ Because if you refuse to send my people away, see, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory,⁵ and they will cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they will eat whatever is left to you that escaped the hail, and they will eat every tree of yours that is growing in the field,⁶ and they will fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came to the land to this day.'”Then he turned around and went out from Pharaoh.⁷ Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Send the husbands away, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is destroyed?”⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?”⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”¹⁰ But he said to them, “Let it be so” The LORD be with you, when I send you and your little ones away![1] See, you have evil in mind.¹¹ Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the LORD, because that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

so that we may know

Pharaoh’s advisers could see the devastation happening. They suggested a compromise that would allow him to save face, but perhaps settle the matter: a temporary vacation of the warrior class, the husbands. The wives and kids and property would stay back in Egypt so that the men would not think of deserting their land. When Pharaoh inquired to Moses if that might be an acceptable compromise, Moses gently replied ‘no, it’s all or nothing.’ If Moses had conceded to this compromise, there never would have been an exodus.

Why was this struggle with the Egyptians happening? That question is answered quite thoroughly in this text. There are two reasons and an ultimate purpose.

1. God intended to display his power by showing his miraculous signs among the Egyptians (1). His people had been enslaved and in bondage, and that reflected upon his nature. The LORD is omnipotent, but for generations he has been allowing the gods of Egypt to appear to be in control. The plagues and the other signs were God’s way of setting the record straight. God wants to do the same thing today, for the same reason. He is tired of watching the world ignore his existence and deny his power.

2. God wanted to give his people a gospel story – a story of his deliverance — that they could pass on to their sons and grandsons (2a). Passing on this gospel story connects families to each other and bonds them to the LORD. The LORD is more than just “my shepherd” he the LORD of all the nations and families of the earth.

3. Demonstrating his sovereignty amid the struggle reminded the Hebrews who the LORD is. The ultimate purpose for the struggle was so that they would know that he is the LORD (2b). That is the ultimate purpose for the struggles that we experience as well. They drive us to seek a power outside ourselves. They force us to rely on something besides our self-sufficiency.

LORD, come to us today, and show your power to deliver us through the cross! Give us a gospel story to tell to our children and grandchildren. Demonstrate your sovereignty in our struggles so that we may know that you are the LORD.

[1] Pharaoh’s reply was sarcasm. He meant the opposite – that he never intended to send them away.

Posted in evangelism, gospel, sovereignty of God | Tagged Exodus 10 | 1 Comment

fearing the face

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 9:29-35

²⁹ Moses told him, “When I have gone out of the city, I will reach out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the land is the LORD’s.³⁰ But I know that you and your servants do not yet fear the face of the LORD God.”³¹ (The flax and the barley were struck down, because the barley was fresh and the flax was in bud.³² But the wheat and the spelt were not struck down, because they are late in coming up.)³³ So Moses went outside the city, away from Pharaoh and reached out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he failed to keep his promise yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not send the sons of Israel away, just as the LORD had predicted. through Moses.

fearing the face

The expression mifney ‘adonai in Hebrew: “face of the LORD” , or “presence of the LORD” is usually untranslated, but it is associated with fear in all nine verses where it is found.[1] Moses and Pharaoh serve to contrast what it means to fear the LORD’s face. Both were strong, determined men, so fearing the LORD’s face did not mean that Moses was timid and Pharaoh was bold. No, the difference was of a different kind:

1. Moses’ fear of the LORD’s face led him to serve the LORD, not to hide from him.

2. Moses’ fear of the LORD’s face enabled him to reach out to the LORD in prayer.

3. Moses’ fear of the LORD’s face gave him the courage to leave the protection of the city, and pray in the open field, even while the fatal hailstorm was raging.

4. Pharaoh’s lack of fear of the LORD’s face led him to serve himself, even making promises he never intended to keep, because he was not obliged to consider the LORD’s judgment.

5. Pharaoh’s lack of fear of the LORD’s face invited a hardening of his heart. He remained in the “I can handle this “ mode, and so God hardened him to the pain that his stubbornness was causing to all those around him.

The paradox is this: sin causes us to fear the LORD’s presence because we are guilty, but the LORD’s presence is our only means of dealing with sin. When we stubbornly seek to handle things ourselves, we are – in essence – hiding from the only solution to our problem.

LORD, we confess that we fear you, because we are sinners. Yet, by your grace, we will enter your presence and seek your face. We trust in your atoning work. We cannot fix us. So we seek your face.

[1] Gen. 3:8; Exod. 9:30; Judg. 5:5; 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer. 4:26; 23:9; Hag. 1:12; Zech. 2:17; Mal. 3:14. {The Kethiv is mifney Yehovah}.

Posted in courage, faith, fear, relationship with God, repentance | Tagged Exodus 9 | 1 Comment

gone too far

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 9:22-28

²² Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and animal and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”²³ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.²⁴ There was hail and lightning flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.²⁵ The hail destroyed everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and animal. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and stripped every tree of the field.²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have gone too far; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.²⁸ Plead with the LORD, because there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will send you away, and you will stay no longer.”

gone too far

This could have been the end of the story, but it was not. Pharaoh’s repentance was not based on a true assessment of who God was, so it did not last. Pharaoh was genuinely sorry that all the plagues had descended upon him and his nation. Perhaps you are there. Maybe you look at your life and deeply regret some of the choices that you have made, and are willing to accept the blame for those choices. That is a good start, but it is not biblical repentance. It is “worldly sorrow” which “lacks repentance” and “results in spiritual death.”[1] Worldly sorrow accepts the fact that you have gone too far, but godly sorrow admits that you have not gone far enough. Worldly sorrow is sad over God’s judgment, but godly sorrow agrees with God’s judgment. Worldly sorrow pleads for God to relent, but godly sorrow begs for God to renovate.

If you are a sinner today and you know it, don’t ask for God to quickly take care of your problems. Ask him to change you. Be willing to continue suffering for as long as it takes for his image to be restored in you. Accept God’s forgiveness, and live in a renewed relationship with God on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross. His forgiveness is free, and his acceptance is immediate. But don’t assume that a lifetime of rebellion against God can be undone by a simple confession and prayer. Be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to move you from your present position to the place where God wants you.

LORD, show us how to be unsatisfied with our sin, but to move beyond that to being unsatisfied with our holiness. Create in us a hunger for more of you, not just less of sin and sorrow.

[1] 2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT.

Posted in deliverance, forgiveness, repentance, will of God | Tagged Exodus 9 | 1 Comment

left exposed

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 9:13-21

¹³ Then the LORD told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Send my people away, so that they may serve me.¹⁴ Because this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that none like me exists in all the land.¹⁵ Because by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the land.¹⁶ But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.¹⁷ You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not send them away.¹⁸ See, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.¹⁹ So now send word, get your livestock and all the people whom you have in the field into safe shelter, because every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” ‘”²⁰ Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,²¹ but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

left exposed

The hail plague began with a word of warning from God through Moses through Pharaoh to the people of Egypt. All the plagues that had come before had been major irritations for the Egyptians, but this one had the potential to be fatal. Most of the citizens of Egypt knew nothing about the God of the Hebrews. All that they knew was that his word had caused problems for them. They had pride in their own culture and they were not about to give up their own culture and chase the dreams of these slave people. But some of them were beginning to take these messages seriously. They were beginning to ask themselves what harm would there be to get their cattle and field workers out of the way. They were not ready to sign on and become a Hebrew, but they did fear the word of this foreign God. This God is a God of grace, and for him, that was enough. He did not want to take anyone’s life just to prove his power. He created the Egyptians as well, and he loves them.

God has a warning for the world today, and it is not about hail but about hell. People can ignore this word, but to do so would be to put their lives in danger. All the good news about Jesus does not change the fact that the bad news is still valid. In fact, the good news about Jesus is that he has taken hell for us. The essence of hell in the New Testament is that God will judge everyone at the end of time and destroy them with what he calls the second death.[1] For believers, Christ has taken the second death for us. But for those who choose to have nothing to do with Jesus, the warning from this text is that they have left themselves exposed to the judgment. Only those who feared the word of the LORD were protected from the hail. Only those who come to Christ will be saved from the second death.

LORD, show us how to spread your word so that the world can hear it, and save themselves from your coming judgment.

[1] Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8.

Posted in destruction in hell, gospel, grace, Jesus Christ, wrath of God | Tagged Exodus 9 | 1 Comment

handfuls of soot

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 9:8-12

⁸ And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.⁹ It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and animal throughout all the land of Egypt.”¹⁰ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and animal.¹¹ And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.¹² But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

handfuls of soot

God used of handfuls of fish and bread to feed thousands. But he also used handfuls of soot to harm thousands. The goal of both miracles was the same: deliverance. The difference was the targets of the miracles. In the exodus story, the target was a nation that insisted on keeping God’s children in bondage. In the feeding miracles of the Gospels, Jesus used his hands to feed those who were seeking his truth.

Jesus told his apostles that they were shake the dust off their feet as they leave the towns who resist the gospel.[1] Jesus pronounced judgment upon those resistant towns.[2] Our society today can go either way, but it looks like it is leaning more toward Pharaoh’s resistance rather than seeking truth from Christ.

LORD, feed us. Keep us from rejecting your will and incurring your wrath.

[1] Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:11.

[2] Matthew 11:21.

Posted in deliverance, gospel, resistance, wrath of God | Tagged Exodus 9 | 1 Comment

having thoroughly investigated…

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 9:1-7

9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Send my people away, so that they may serve me.² Because if you refuse to send them away and still hold on to them,³ see, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very brutal plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.⁴ But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the sons of Israel will die.”‘”⁵ And the LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”⁶ And the next day the LORD did this thing. All over the place, the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died.⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and see, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not send the people away.

having thoroughly investigated…

One of the distinctive things about the aftermath of this fifth plague is that Pharaoh authorized a thorough investigation of its results. While dead livestock were found all over the land of Egypt (that is the sense in which I translate the word “all” in verse 6), there were no signs of a mass death among the livestock in Goshen, where the Israelites lived.

What does Pharaoh do with the outcome of this investigation? He ignores it, because the data do not conform to his wishes. Such is the case with numerous thorough investigations into the claims of the gospel today. People find that the evidence for what the Bible says is there, but more often than not, they take Pharaoh’s response. The gospel is true. The evidence is there. But it will take the power of the Holy Spirit unleashed through our prayers for people in bondage to accept that evidence.

LORD, make us a praying people, because witnessing truth alone will not release people from the spiritual bondage they are in.

Posted in discernment, gospel, prayer | Tagged Exodus 9 | 1 Comment

saving face but mocking God

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 8:20-32 (Hebrew: 8:16-28)

²⁰ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Send my people away, that they may serve me.²¹ Because, if you will not send my people away, see, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and the ground on which they stand also.²² But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land.²³ This is how I will distinguish between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.”‘”²⁴ And the LORD did so. Large swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was devastated by the swarms of flies.²⁵ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”²⁶ But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we would sacrifice to the LORD our God are a repugnance to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings repulsive to the Egyptians before their eyes, would they not stone us?²⁷ We must go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.”²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the desert; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”²⁹ Then Moses said, “See, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh be mocking again by not sending the people away to sacrifice to the LORD.”³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.³¹ And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not send the people away.

saving face but mocking God

The fourth plague repeats enough of the details of the first that Stuart suggests that Pharaoh starts to think “Oh, no! Not again!”[1] He is either so alarmed by this repetition or so annoyed by the flies throughout the land that he concedes to send the Israelites away – but not too far away. What he is actually doing is what the Orientals call saving face. Pharaoh and Moses both know that once the Israelites leave, they would be gone for good. But this way it is not a complete concession. Pharaoh only waits until the flies have been removed, and changes his mind again.

Some people come to a crisis point in their lives, and turn to God for help. But then, when the crisis is over, they conveniently forget their commitment to him. Pharaoh did this, and Moses called it mocking God.

LORD, make us people true to our commitment to you. May the world around us always know who we are loyal to … in times of crisis, and times of peace.

[1] Douglas Stuart, New American Commentary, vol. 2.

Posted in commitment, conflict, faithfulness, integrity | Tagged Exodus 8 | 1 Comment

getting the point

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 8:16-19 (Hebrew: 8:12-15)

¹⁶ Then the LORD told Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'”¹⁷ And they did so. Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the land, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the land became gnats in all the land of Egypt.¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of a god.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had predicted.

getting the point

There is some confusion as to what insect the LORD deployed upon the Egyptians at this time. The KJV has “lice” while most modern translations use “gnats.” Some scholars suggest that it was mosquitoes. Growing up in rural Florida, I had my share of both. The gnats were a bother at times, but the mosquitoes posed a greater annoyance, and a more potential threat. When we served as missionaries in the Philippines, we had to take many precautions against mosquitoes and the diseases they carried.

The Hebrew term is used of all small, annoying, biting winged insects, so it could have been a combination of numerous species. What matters is that they were recognized by the Egyptians as being of supernatural origin. But by this time, Pharaoh was so committed to refusing to give in that he would not listen, even to his own advisers.

There is a struggle going on in our hearts today. The LORD wants to rescue us from our sins. He wants to get us out of the bondage we are in. He places his finger on our lives in a number of sensitive areas, and commands us to release ourselves to him. Will we listen, or will we stubbornly refuse, in spite of all the evidence?

LORD, forgive us for holding out so long. You have touched us with your loving finger. May we wisely get the point.

Posted in deliverance, discernment, discipleship, sanctification | Tagged Exodus 8 | 1 Comment

nuisance

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

Exodus 8:1-15 (Hebrew: 7:26-8:11)

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says, “Send away my people, so that they may serve me.² But if you are refusing to send them away, see, I will plague all your territory with frogs.³ The Nile will swarm with frogs that will come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.⁴ The frogs will come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”‘”⁵ And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!'”⁶ So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.⁷ But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.⁸ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “Honor yourself by commanding me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.”¹⁰ And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “It will be as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.¹¹ The frogs will go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They will be left only in the Nile.”¹² So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.¹³ And the LORD acted consistent with the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.¹⁴ And they gathered them together in piles, and the land stank.¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was a break, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had predicted.

Nuisance

The frog was also a deity in the Egyptian pantheon. Heqet was a goddess who represented fertility. To have the territory overrun by these creatures was more than an annoyance. It was another reminder to Pharaoh that his worldview was erroneous. It was an embarrassment. And, even though his magicians were able to duplicate the same thing on a smaller scale (because they were illusionists) he was perturbed, so he appealed to Moses to have the LORD stop the plague. He was starting to take the LORD seriously. Moses even gives Pharaoh the honor of choosing the day for the pestilence to stop. But when the break came, Pharaoh still stubbornly refused to comply with the LORD’s demand.

I wonder if we are any better than Pharaoh was. We regularly experience nuisances in our lives, and they sometimes are so bad that we appeal to the LORD to rescue us. But do we ever stop to ask if the LORD wants to change us? Maybe an annoying event might be his way of getting our attention. Perhaps we should not be so quick to return to business as usual when the nuisance is over.

LORD, forgive us for ignoring you when you remind us of our need to change. Help us to see the possible significance of the annoying interruptions in our lives. Keep us sensitive to your guidance.

Posted in discernment, humility, wisdom | Tagged Exodus 8 | 1 Comment