Uh...Pharaoh?

Now typically, I like frogs. They're kind of cute, they eat insect pests, and my kids love to play with them. But imagine being completely overrun with them. Genesis 8 describes the plague of frogs as being so thick that they were even invading beds, ovens, and kneading bowls. It'd be kind of hard to sleep with those slimy, ribbitting guys trying to slip into your PJ's for warmth. It would also be a bit disconcerting to bite into your bread and sense something unusually chewy, only to look down and see half a frog oozing out at you. And then there's what they leave behind.

So Pharaoh, fed up (pun intended) with all this, summons Moses and Aaron to pray to their God to remove the frogs. Moses challenges Pharaoh to determine the time the prayer should take place. (Now here's the part that makes my jaw drop...)

Pharaoh responds, "Do it tomorrow."

(Okay, re-read that first part of v. 10. because I KNOW he didn't just say "tomorrow.")

"Do it tomorrow," Pharaoh said.

Oh no he didn't. Why on earth would he allow the frogs to remain one more day if he didn't have to?! Unless it was exactly 11:59:59 p.m. (or whatever the ancient Egyptian equivalent would be), then I simply do not understand how Pharaoh could respond this way in the midst of such nastiness. Why did he not burst out desperately, "Today...do it right now to end this!"

But then as God so often does, He transports me from His Word to my life...or more accurately, His Word IN my life: "Kathy, why do you judge him? You do this all the time. When you're worrying about a decision to make, you tell yourself that you need to pray about that, and sometimes you do, but sometimes you forget entirely. Or someone who is struggling will confide in you and you tell her 'I'll pray for you,' implying that you'll do it later. Why not do it right then? By waiting, you're postponing resolution or healing, just like Pharaoh did. So quit judging."

Excuse me while I go eat some humble pie...hopefully, the frogless variety. :-)