Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 7 before reading the devotional below.
Okay, can we just acknowledge (in case we weren’t tracking with the timeline) that Moses is an 80-year-old man at this point? Kind of a lot on his plate at the moment. In today’s chapter, God reveals more of the details of his plan, including the reason he is allowing his plan to seem like a failure at the outset. God wants to display his full power, which will only be possible after a good fight. Sure, he could take Pharaoh out easily on the first round, but his power will be on greater display if he battles it out for a bit.
We begin the description of the plagues, famous in children’s Bibles and kind of gross when you really think about it. But this is not merely a battle for God’s people to be set free. No, this battle is one over the very lordship and authority of God. Pharaoh had some spiritual power at his disposal too, with his sorcerers and magic. He was given a god-like status by virtue of his position. The plagues that follow connect with the supposed powers of the Egyptian gods, demonstrating to everyone that Israel’s god will out perform Egyptian gods any day of the week.
Here’s your freedom for today: when God fights the battle, he wins. Honestly, I don’t understand why I keep trying to fight my own battles. It’s really quite useless. I have the option to release every aspect of my life and let God run it. This freedom is the good news he offers. None of us are particularly fantastic at running our own lives, and God has offered to use his power on our behalf. He’s in your corner today. What battle can you step away from and let God fight for you?