A Plate of Frogs

“This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse…I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country…They will come up into your place and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses…and on your people…The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.” Exodus 8:1-4.

One of the stories of the Bible that is most applicable to us today is the rescue of God’s people. They were enslaved in Egypt and were under the brutal hands of slave drivers. They knew their lives were not their own and freedom from their pain seemed impossible. Month after month, year after year, they cried out to God to rescue and delivery them. God being faithful to His word, and loving to His children answered their prayers. But not the way they originally dreamed. It never dawned on me until a few days ago, that the 10 plagues God sent that played a huge part in their delivery wasn’t just experienced by Egypt. The Israelites also experienced the first 3 plagues. The second plague was the infestation of frogs overtaking the land. Can you imagine praying for something so fervently and desperately only to experience hardship after hardship? God’s way is seldom the way we would choose when anticipating His intervention in our lives. Most times we will have to experience great times of testing to get to our answered prayers.

We all have unanswered prayers…dreams awaiting God’s fulfillment. Some of us are praying for relief from our medical struggles. Some are dreaming of a day when our circumstances will finally be different. Many are praying for those estranged relationships to be reconciled while others are praying for God to send work. We all have many challenges that need God’s touch…a plate of frogs that we must ingest. My father-in-law use to say that if you must eat a plate of frogs, don’t look at them for too long. We must focus on where our challenges will take us according to God’s plan. Our challenges and pain have feet that move us from flesh to spirit…spiritual toddler to mature believer…earthly wanderings to spiritual significance. We must keep our eyes on Jesus throughout our journey of adversity and understand that we must experience tough times to receive our dreams. You can be confident that whatever is on your plate this morning God has a perfect plan. God is not careless or random with the details of your situation. He is using every single frog on your plate to accomplish His beautiful purpose for your life. Just don’t focus on your circumstances too long lest you grow warts!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.