9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”
The power of teamwork! Remember Moses said he could not carry out the mission that the Lord had called him to perform. The Lord knew he was capable, but accommodated Moses’ fear. Aaron would be the front man for God’s operation. So in this verse we see the Lord making that accommodation. But what is interesting, when this actually takes place, Moses is the front man. Something happens in Moses that changes his abilities and confidence. I think it is because the Lord allows Moses to feel safe. He does not force Moses to do anything. He gives Moses space to grow. What a wonderful blessing. God is not in the forcing business. I wish He were! There are some people I wish the Lord would ‘make’ serve Him. The world would be a very different place if some of the dictators of the world became believers in Jesus. Instead of revenge and senseless killing, there would be love and forgiveness. Unbridled capitalism would be replaced with unbridled generosity. Suicide bombings would be replaced with life-giving acts of kindness. But the Lord does not force us to submit to Him. He does not force others to either. This can be hard to remember when we are praying for someone. We want the Lord to act because we see the destruction in the other’s life. We want them to be spared the negative consequences. We don’t want them to drive off the cliff. So we pray for the Lord to change their heart. I believe the Lord is always working to change people’s hearts toward Him. But I also believe that people resist that change. The stubbornness of humans is amazing. In the face of disaster, Pharaoh will choose to reject the clear demonstrations of God’s power in favor of his own pride. How many times have we seen this type of action, choosing destruction rather than reconciliation, divorce rather than healing, addiction rather than family! And we ourselves are not immune to this process. What are the areas of rebellion in your life? In what areas are you choosing to be Pharaoh?
The Arnold Journey 