– Exodus 8:2
RRR-IBBB-IT!
Frogs? Really? Were they huge, man-eating frogs? Maybe if the frogs had 3-inch fangs and razor sharp claws it would sound more menacing, but cute little croakers hopping around couldn't be all that bad could it? Hmmmmm.
God sure has a unique sense of humor and a really wild imagination doesn't he? I mean of all the things He could punish the Egyptian people with, frogs had to catch everyone by surprise. I can picture it . . . first one frog, then a dozen or so, by day's end a few thousand – which is a lot of frogs – but spread over all of Egypt not too bad at all right? Well . . . I think my initial "picture" was way off-base. One thing I know about God – He doesn't do anything half-way. I bet all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, with not so much as a hocus-pocus or a celebratory "TA-DA," the country was knee-deep in slimy, wriggly, scaly, croaking, hopping, frogs. Big frogs, little frogs, and every sized frog in-between. There were frogs in the pyramids, the palaces, and every household throughout all of Egypt. In their pantries, and in between the bed sheets, and in the cookie jars . . . even frogs in the lamb sandwiches! Holy ToadStools Batman!
OK, OK, so what does a bunch of frogs have to do with us today, and how do we take this line of scripture and apply it to our lives so we can grow closer in our relationship with out Heavenly Father? Well how about this? God loves us so much, and He sees, and hears, and knows the struggles we have. He comes down from His throne, just to get a closer look into exactly what is happening so that He can make things right, at just the right time. He uses other people to effect change in the world around us so that our individual situations can improve.
The problem is that most people, like Moses, are reluctant to act when God gives them a mission which will set the wheels of change in motion. On top of that, the people that are required to change the way they are doing things, are even more reluctant because, well . . . sometimes they're just too stubborn and arrogant and they won't listen to anyone, especially a reluctant Christian. That's when God has to step in and do something fantastic in order to make Everyone change.
In today's world, catastrophic events are more sudden and shocking (mostly because of technology and the way news spreads so quickly). Be it terrorism or tornadoes, God uses events like these to bring about widespread change. On a more personal level, bad doctor's reports, sudden and unexpected deaths of loved ones, loss of jobs, bank foreclosures, or even something as simple as a fender bender on the way home – all stuff that happens every day, can be God's handiwork as He tries to get our attention and make some much-needed changes in and to our lives.
So if you are going through some "stuff," and you're wondering why God is allowing this to happen to you, take a moment, take a knee, thank Him for being with you in your trial, and then look forward to the blessing and the freedom that's coming. Everything good comes with a high price that absolutely has to be paid. So be prepared to suffer through a few frogs every once in a while . . . the warts will go away soon enough, and the changes that come as a result will have you hopping with joy!
Prayer
Father, thank You for the frogs. Thank You for understanding that sometimes we just need a jolt to get us back on the right track. Help us to focus on You through the misery and to look forward to the victory. Help us to endure and to understand that even when we are knee deep in trouble, we are still Your children, and You still love us, and You are working to bring us closer to You.
Have a "hoppingly" Blessed Friday everyone!
– Richard
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