I have been reading through the book of Exodus lately. It has been very beneficial to go back to a book that was so familiar from my childhood and see what God wants to speak to me through this chunk of Scripture as an adult.
In chapters 7-12 we read about God sending the ten plagues to Egypt because of Pharaoh’s unwillingness to let the Israelites go out of slavery. Reading through the ten plagues, I am amazed at God’s willingness and persistence in sticking up for what is right and His willingness and persistence in sticking up for people who were considered His people. I started to ask myself, “Am I the type of person that God would stick up for?” I was reminded just how extremely powerful our God is. He can stop the sun from shining; He can at the sound of His voice control animals and insects; He can control disease; He can bring the biggest hail storms; and He can even control death. What I found amazing was the fact that God also had the power to stop all those things the instant Moses asked for them to stop. He can do the same thing in our lives. He can heal the sick; He can restore the broken; He is the light in the darkness; and He saves us from death.
As I kept reading through the plagues, I found myself surprisingly connecting and relating to somebody else…Pharaoh. I thought that was really wierd at first, but I let my mind explore that explanation a little deeper. I started to understand that I connect with Pharaoh because I often (like Pharaoh) have something God wants out of my life. Often times, I am so stubborn and hard-hearted to actually get rid of those things EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THOSE THINGS CAUSING SOMETHING NEGATIVE IN MY LIFE. I often want to control the situation. I often want it my way. It is selfishness at its best. We often read about Pharaoh and think, “How stubborn does one guy have to be to keep putting up with all this crap and not submit to God?” That hits closer to home than I first thought.
I prayed today that God would reveal something to me that He wanted me to get rid of in my life and that I would have the strength to actually get rid of it. I prayed to receive a soft, tender heart.
How about you? What in your life are you holding onto that God may want you to give up? Have you experienced negative things that are a direct reflection of your inability to get rid of something?
Read Exodus 7-12 when you get a few minutes. It is powerful and much better than Charlton Heston’s version.
