The Enemy of “Tomorrow”

“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.’ And Pharaoh said, ‘Tomorrow.’” Exodus 8:8-10a

I happen to love when God’s Word comes alive right off the page to me! I love when, even though I’ve read a certain passage numerous times, God will illuminate His Word in such a way as if I’ve never read it before. His Word is alive and active. Make no mistake about that. It has the power to penetrate even the hardest of hearts. Open it, read it, and see for yourself. This happened to me this past weekend. I have read through the account of the plagues being brought upon Egypt countless times. I’ve sang children’s songs in order to memorize each plague. I’ve seen movies that depict the dramatic “Exodus” of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Never have I seen our above verses in such a life-altering way before, though.

God had chosen Moses to go to Pharaoh, serve as His mouthpiece, and command the release of His people (Israel) from the grip of slavery that had kept them in bondage for hundreds of years. Moses was afraid and felt entirely inadequate to fulfill such a calling, but God went with Him, thus displaying the miraculous through the finite. As Moses pleads for the release of the Israelites, he is met with Pharaoh’s resounding “No” again and again. Each refusal to release God’s people is met with a plague that was poured out on all of Egypt. The frogs were the second of ten plagues that would overtake Egypt, and overtake they did. It’s hard to imagine so many frogs, but Scripture tells us that they literally covered the land. You couldn’t walk without stepping on one. Not only were they covering the ground, but they were infesting homes, rooms, and even beds! The entire city and every household was filled with frogs. Completely disgusting if you ask me. I’m not a big fan of many little creatures, much less frogs. And in my bed?!?! No thank you!

So you can only imagine that the desire of Pharaoh and the Egyptians was to rid themselves of the frogs as quickly as possible. That is why verse 10 strikes me as so odd. Pharaoh comes to Moses begging him to pray to God to take the frogs away, and Moses says, “Absolutely! When would you like this to happen?” (My paraphrase) Then, Pharaoh says, “Tomorrow.” What? Really? Tomorrow? He wants to spend another night with them? Seriously? Why? And then it struck me. We do the very same thing.

Our lives are filled with all manner of frogs – sin, disobedience, brokenness, pain, guilt, shame, unbelief, etc. – and the Lord extends His freedom to us every moment of every day…and we say, “Tomorrow.”

“I’ll get around to that tomorrow.”

“That would require surrender. That would require change. I think I’ll keep trying to fix it on my own. I think I’ll wait until tomorrow.”

And our defeated “Christian” lives go on and on. Ladies, do you realize that we were meant to live in freedom? Do you understand that God died so that we might have abundant life? Do you believe that God is STILL in the business of setting people free from all manner of addictions and bondage? It is our choice to continue to say “tomorrow” that keeps the frogs in our lives exactly where they are at and delays our freedom and healing. The excuse of “tomorrow” keeps us from stepping into our calling. God uses surrendered people, not perfect people. But we, being deceived, think we have to get things together first before God could possibly use us. And the longer we say “tomorrow”, the more we forfeit the freedom, healing, and victory that God wants to give us today.

The enemy of “tomorrow” is delayed blessing. The same God that has anointed your favorite Bible teacher, the passionate world-changer, the missionary, the human rights activist (and the list goes on) is the SAME GOD that wants to set you free from your frogs and put your feet in a spacious place, enlarge your territory, and use you mightily for the glory of His name and the advancement of His Kingdom here on earth. Quit excusing yourself out of freedom. It is for freedom that Christ sets us free. Learn to live in it!