Prayer Journal

Thursday, January 29, 2004

You may have difficulty discerning the significance of Pharaoh's answer until you hear the question posed by Moses. He asked, "I'll let you decide when to take away your distress, Pharaoh. When exactly should I pray to remove it?" Then Pharaoh essentially replied, "Let me enjoy it one more day, Moses. Then you can take it."

Can you imagine so many frogs around you that you can't walk, sit or lie down without hearing a croak in your ear or under your feet. Now imagine that you regard them as gods and must treat them with reverence or else risk retaliation by the great frog god who sits on his lily pad in the sky. Are you kiddin' me? This is too funny for words!

Sorry for that, but can you imagine the dilemma of the king of Egypt? "I'm sick of these stupid slimy creatures but I can't say anything. I can't even ask that they be immediately taken away. To do so, I risk angering the gods or worse yet those who truly believed me when I declared that these reptiles are gods. Truly, stupid is as stupid does!"

Jesus met a man who seemed to have it all, much like Pharaoh. He had money, power and youth, but he lacked a relationship with God. He approached the Son of God, but upon hearing the requirement for becoming a disciple, he walked away and rejected the call. (Mt 19:21-22)

Many people are like Pharaoh and the rich young man. They seem to have it all, but are actually servants of their own stupidity. In the one case, Pharaoh failed to consider his presumption about God might be wrong and because of that, he and all his people suffered. The young man thought he could add the title of discipleship to his many other titles without being inconvenienced. But both men were wrong and it cost them a lot.

May I remind you of something that by now should be obvious? Psalm 24:1 tells us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. If that's the case (and it is!), then what do you own or possess that God didn't give you? And if God gave it to you, don't you think God can take it away? For those of you who are in school, here's a geometric conclusion for you to consider:

1) God is eternal; 2) Since everything belongs to God anyway, that which I possess is temporary; Therefore, 3) I choose to hold lightly to such things and thereby avoid becoming attached to them.

Tell me friend, what do you own? Are you willing to put it down to serve the eternal God? The king of Egypt had his frogs, the young man his riches, but in the end they both lost it all and will someday stand fully exposed and without any possessions to answer to God for their terminal stupidity.

Here's my challenge: Since you can't take it with you, why not learn to live without it on this side of eternity? To do anything less risks disappointment, disillusionment and disaster.

Just Thinkin'... WebServant

1. Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Ex. 7:25-9:35 Mt. 19:13-30 Ps. 24 Pr. 6:1-5 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

Copyright © 1998-2004 James R. Green and Prayertower Ministries
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