S) "23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile."
Exodus 7:23-24 (NASB)
O) Moses was warned that Pharaoh was going to be a hard sell. The first sign to the Egyptian king was the staff of Moses turning into a snake. Then, Pharaoh's magicians did the same by trickery (although Moses' staff ate theirs). So, now the actual plagues begin, and the first is that the Nile river (indeed all of the water that Egypt had) was turned to blood. It would be a long time before Pharaoh is convinced, with each plague becoming more and more serious. The reaction Pharaoh had to this first plague sets the tone: he had no concern for this. He did not fear the power of God, because he thought he had available to himself, the same kind of power. God put forth a problem, and Pharaoh figured he could just dig around it. In the end, his inability to see the full scope of God's power cost him the life of his own son before he would truly acknowledge the power of God.
A) There was a time in my life that I thought I could just dig around the Nile. God was trying to redirect my life, back toward Him, and I was stubbornly trying to work out my own solutions. I have a lot of regrets about that time of my life, and I sometimes wonder how different my life might have been, if I would have had concern even for those redirecting pushes. It is amazing grace that God is so patient, and that He starts small with us. It's amazing that He even tries to reach us at all, but then to do it with so much compassion and patience, it's amazing. I just need to remember, when it seems that I am facing a difficulty in my life, am I going to get a shovel to start working on my problem, or am I going to get on my knees and pray for God's direction?
P) Father, I am tired of digging around, trying to solve all of my own problems. Let the struggles I face, the difficulties, all point back to Your grace and mercy and peace, Father God. Open my eyes to see that Your hand might still be sovereignly over all of my trials, and open my ears to hear You calling me into a deeper relationship with You through those tests. I want You to use those circumstances to discipline me, just as a father disciplines the child he loves. Teach me to trust and rely on You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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