August 1, 2008

I was just reading about the plagues in Egypt that God brought to prove who he was to Pharaoh.  Honestly, I do not think that our modern lifestyle could have withstood those plagues.  Frogs everywhere, then dead frogs everywhere; gnats and flies on everything.  Blood in all the water sources.  Destructive hail, swarms of locust and complete darkness.  These would be real crisis even in our modern times.  The Israelites were spared the last few but not the first two.  I wonder why God did that.  I do know that God was setting the stage for later.  When the Israelites were traveling through the desert, the reputation of their God from these events was known by the native populations they encountered.  People feared the Israelites for these particular things that God did years in advance of their arrival in different areas.

Why do I worry about my future and what God can or is going to do with my life?  If he can do all those things to show who he is, why do I not trust him with my issues?  God convinced a ruler to release all his slave population.  The slaves suffered through the process but in the end they were freed.  Freed and their enemies sent them off with all their valuables. Do I really think God can not handle what I face everyday; clients, office politics, negative attitudes, etc?  Do I really believe that he is not able to place me where he needs me when he needs me there?  Then, to go further, do I not trust him for where he has placed me currently?  Where has my faith gone?

I often find my self as a living sacrifice that likes to climb off the altar.  I have a tough time letting go of my own control and trusting God with everything.  In my arrogance, I begin to believe that this is too much for God but I can handle this situation better.

In Matthew 18 :19, it says “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”  Steve and I need to remember as we deal with issues and problems and thanksgivings.