Exo 8:8-10 And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Pray to Jehovah that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people. And I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to Jehovah. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Glory over me! When shall I pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, so that they may remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, It shall be according to your word, so that you may know that there is none like Jehovah our God.
Mat 17:15-21 Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and grievously vexed; for oftentimes he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me. And Jesus rebuked the demon, and he departed out of him. And the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
“I’ll start tomorrow.” Have you ever heard that phrase? Seems like we have an entire generation of I’ll start tomorrow, I’ll pay for it tomorrow, and I’ll do that tomorrow. Pharaoh wasn’t much different. His magicians could reproduce similar feats to Moses and Aaron so he wasn’t all that convinced that there was a God behind the release of the Hebrews. Apparently he thought the Hebrews were being idle and murmuring about a few days of vacation. It wasn’t until the frogs became really annoying before Pharaoh asks Moses to pray and make it stop. Moses prays and God stops the frogs. The frogs all die and are piled into heaps and the land stinks of dead frogs. But, since things are not so bad after the frogs are dead, he decides to go back on his word and refuses to let the Hebrews go.
How does a heart harden? Inexperience with God. Pharaoh has no experience with God and most if not all the stories of Joseph and how God saved Egypt are all forgotten. When Moses and Aaron appear they get no more respect than Cheech and Chong would get when approaching previous Presidents. Pharaoh is remotely impressed with the competition between his magicians and Moses. However, the frogs get his attention. Then after they are gone it’s not that bad and since he’s not a believer yet, he ignores the reality of God and shoves His request aside.
Take soda pop for example, it tastes great, might give you a zip if it has caffeine in it and adds a little something to the meal or snack. That same wonderful tasting “adds life” chemical concoction also dehydrates the body, causes issues with the spine, gives off symptoms similar to MS and the list goes on. All of the acid in it does make a great toilet bowl cleaner, however. Once people start drinking pop they find it extremely difficult to stop until the frogs start popping up everywhere. Aches and pains that won’t go away, back popping, dry hair and skin, and an overall feeling of tired etc. Then they see something on Facebook or the news about the bad things associated with soda pop. They start connecting the dots and think about getting rid of that frog tomorrow. “I’ll stop drinking pop tomorrow, I don’t feel that bad.” Like Pharaoh it’s not until we go down the path of destruction a little further and we lose our “firstborn” do we become believers in letting something go.
The disciples were also having a little problem with getting rid of something. A man brings his lunatic son to have the devils cast out. They couldn’t do it. Jesus annoyed with them and their unbelief tells them a little story. If they just had a TINY, TINY bit of faith similar to the size of a mustard seed it would have worked. But since they were not up on their game he teaches them about prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting helps them remove their unbelief and changes their character so God can work through them. We don’t pray and fast to get God to move. We pray and fast so we can see and receive for our life what he has already done through his son Jesus.
Well things are not that bad. I’ll start praying tomorrow. I’m having trouble hearing from God so I’ll fast tomorrow. I could really use a “word” from God so I’ll start reading the Bible tomorrow. All of you seeking a “word” for you today. There is a book called the Bible it has pages and pages filled with words just for you and what you are going through right now. You don’t have to keep your frogs another minute. Stop whatever you are doing and pray for God to show you his word for your situation. Google it. Generally a “what does the Bible say about….?”can quickly generate a location of a few scriptures for you to look up that can change your life in the next few moments. Then study the word to find out “Your” scriptures. These will be the ones that are just special to you when you read them. You’ll know when you find them. Something on the inside just breathes a sigh of relief and you literally “feel” it. You’ll know.
How bad do things have to get? Do you need a swarm of flies too or are the frogs enough for you? Losing something is at the end of the rebellion of Pharaoh. Do you want to lose a relationship, a toe (diabetes), overall health (smoking, processed foods), marriage (pornography, flirting), the list is endless in today’s world.
Let’s listen to Jesus shall we? Get up on your game in this life. Have a regular time of prayer, reading the word, and fellowshipping with God. Then when we need something extra, we separate ourselves from the everyday by blocking off some alone time to rejuvenate and to tell our bodies NO, for a while. You can start today don’t wait until tomorrow. Tonight Kiss your frogs goodnight and goodbye forever.
Let’s Pray: Dear God, show us where we are being like Pharaoh, what are we keeping in our lives that we need to let go? Please reveal it to us before we lose something. Alert us with sirens on the inside if we are ingesting something harmful to us. If we are putting off changing things until they get worse, wake us up. Help us to be sensitive to that small quiet voice of peace. Help us to turn off the world for a moment so we can hear you. Inspire us to meet with you and regularly practice your principles and learn your ways. That way when we are called to play a position “In the game,” we are ready and able to do your will with unwavering confidence. In Jesus name, Amen (so be it.)
Daily Scripture Reading: Exodus 7-8, Matthew 17
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