Food for Thought

Read: Exodus 8-10

It’s interesting how many prayerless people resort to prayer when trouble comes.  That’s what Pharaoh did after the plague of frogs (Ex. 8:8), flies (Ex. 8:28), hail (Ex. 9:28) and locusts (Ex. 10:17).  His requests for prayer show that he knew that the plagues were by the hand of God.  Yet his request for prayer was not pure, it contained wrong motives.  Pharaoh just wanted relief from the troubles of the plagues; he didn’t want to submit to the will of God.  Yet are we so different?  It is important for us to see this deception in our own prayers.  After the plague of hail, we see that Pharaoh appeared to have repented.  He even said, “I have sinned…the Lord is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong” (Ex. 9:27).  This shows how deceitful our hearts can actually be (Jer. 17:9).  We can confess with our lips, making us believe that we have truly repented, but we are deceiving ourselves.  Even though God knew all this about Pharaoh, God still relented and the hail and thunder stopped showing us His mercy.  Pharaoh’s final request for prayer also begins with a confession, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.  Now forgive my sin once more and pray” (Ex. 10:16-17).  After seeking prayer deceitfully four times, Pharaoh’s heart becomes hardened and his chance for real repentance is lost.  So what can we learn from this narrative?  God listens to our prayers, even when they aren’t sincere, and often even answers them.  This is because of His great goodness, love and mercy towards us.  We must examine our hearts and see if there is any wicked way in us, repent, change our ways and follow Him wholeheartedly, before it’s too late for us and our hearts become permanently hardened. 

PRAYER & MEDITATION

1.       Ask the Lord to examine your heart and show you in what areas you have been deceived by your heart.

2.       Pharaoh requested prayer because He wanted relief from the troubles of the plagues; he didn’t want to submit to the will of God.  Ask the Lord to show you if there is any hint of this in your prayer life.

3.       Thank the Lord for the mercy, goodness and love that He has shown towards you!