One thing that really stood out to me in today's reading is how the plagues started off affecting everyone. The water, the frogs, the gnats, no one was spared. But then something shifts. Suddenly God draws a line. The flies swarm Egypt but they don't touch the Israelites. Darkness covers the land, but there is still light in Goshen where the Israelites live.
That's protection! And God didn't just promise deliverance someday, He covered His people while the storm was still happening. A plague of flies and not one swarm touches Gods people. That alone is a miracle.
And still, Pharaoh's heart stayed hard.
Every time things became unbearable, he cried out to God. Oh he sounded sincere, He promised change, But the moment relief came, his heart hardened again. It makes me stop and ask myself how often do I do the same thing? Do I only run to God when life falls apart, and slowly drift when things feel okay again?
It's easy to seek God as a rescuer. It's harder to stay with Him as our ruler.And then this morning, scripture got personal.
I got a phone call early, hours before i had to be up, my husband hit a deer. The car is totaled. And the reality hit fast, We definitely can't afford to just buy a new one. The fear, the stress, the what are we going to do thoughts all came rushing in at once.
And just like Pharaoh I found myself calling out to God. A part of me wanted to cry out why. But my spirit was fighting back with something deeper....Trust Him.
That tension is real. One voice asking questions, the other choosing faith anyway. And I realized something very important this morning, Pharaoh cried out to God so the pain would stop. I'm crying out to God so my heart stays steady inside the pain. Did you catch that? There's a difference...
There's a difference between "God, fix this so I can go back to normal,"and
"God, I don't understand this, but I still trust You"
One is bargaining.
The other is surrender.
And real faith doesn't mean you don't feel fear, loss, or stress...Because I'll be completely honest, Im feeling all of it. But It means you decide where to place your Hope when everything feels unstable. It's choosing to let your spirit speak louder than your panic. The same God who put light in Goshen while Egypt sat in darkness is still able to put peace in my heart while circumstances feel chaotic.
The car may be totaled.
But my husband is okay.
And sometimes the first miracle is the one we almost overlook. Cars are replaceable.. Money comes and goes...But not my Husband. And God has protected him in situations like this too many times to count.
So maybe the real point in Exodus 9-10 isn't just about Pharaoh.
Maybe it's about me. About us.
Do we only want God for what He can fix?
Or do we trust Him for who He is, especially when life doesn't make sense?
Because storms will come. Plagues will come. Unexpected phone calls will come.
But the real miracle isn't just that God protects us from everything it's that He teaches us how to live under His covering,
not just run to Him when things fall apart,
but stay with Him even when they do.
Love Pastor Mandy
Ark of Hope Ministry
Daily reading Exodus 9-10
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