Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Exodus 8:8-15
New International Version
Do you use God? I mean, really think about it. Do you use Him? See, Pharaoh had this thing where he would act like he was going to obey God and made just enough commitment to get what he wanted and then he turned his back on God. Pharaoh used God.
You may have shamed Pharaoh each time you’ve read the account of the Exodus, I know I have a time or two. But, honestly, instead of shaming him, we should be examining our own lives and seeing whether we are acting the same way. And, if we’re 100% truthful, we’ve all short changed God at some point. Just own it.
One of the biggest mistakes we can make it pretending like we don’t have any problems and that we don’t do what everyone else does. News flash, we’re just as human as everyone else.
I know that I personally haven’t done exactly what Pharoah was doing (at least I can’t recall asking God to remove a bunch of annoying frogs from my oven). However, I can recall several times that I’ve put myself in a pickle and then turned around and asked God for help as if that’s the only reason He and I talk. That right there is using God. Sure, it seems innocent enough, but it’s not.
Tell me, have you ever known that person who only hangs out with you when they need something? Like, as soon as you see them coming around you put your wallet in a safe. Yeah, that’s what it can be like for God sometimes… not that He’s hiding a wallet, but you know what I mean.
Wouldn’t you get tired of people only coming to you because they have a problem and then ditching you when things get back to the way they want it? I know I would. I know I do. Nobody annoys me more than someone who is always asking something of my family and never giving anything back, not even the simple thing of friendship in return. So, why would I feel ok about doing that to God?
What are some practical things we can do to remedy this issue? Good question, and one that I recently asked myself. I noticed over the past couple months that I wasn’t really giving God much of my time and I wasn’t making Him a priority. That’s when I decided to shake things up. I grabbed my Bible and journals and shut myself in my closet. No clocks, no phones, no people – just me and God. Sure, I’ve still got a lot (A LOT) of improving to do, but at least I’m taking steps forward, right?
I dare you to try something similar. Leave your phone somewhere where you can’t hear it – I dare you to even turn it off and put it in another room! Then, find a place where you are free from distractions and people interrupting your time. Tell me, when you plan on meeting a friend do you let everyone interrupt your time with them or do you make them aware that you expect to spend uninterrupted time with them? God should have the same standards and expectations!
These small changes aren’t hard and don’t take a lot of time, but they do make a world of difference. In spending this intentional time with God, I’ve begun to grow closer to God again. I want to keep growing closer to God, which is why I keep myself open to whatever I might change or alter during my alone time with God. I even spent time asking God to further clarify my prayer language this evening. That was an adventure that I usually wouldn’t have embarked on! Yet, because I was willing to spend time with God as a friend I was able to begin an new adventure with Him. What adventures are you going to start?