Exodus 8:8

Ministry comes with many surprises; there are some we never forget; and they do not always come from people. We were having a Good Friday service outside at Garden UMC (probably 1977). It was to be a “SON-Set” service. Buchanan County has a unique beauty about it in the springtime. A visiting pastor came to speak, and the evening was perfect. As soon as he started preaching, the frogs started a spectacular chorus of peeking (There must have been hundreds of them). He preached as though he was not distracted, but no one could hear a thing that he said.

Pharaoh had a different kind of frog story. His was not worship but a plague caused by his arrogant sinfulness. They had frogs everywhere, inside, and outside of the houses.

Pharaoh finally acknowledged the God of Moses, and even asked for prayer, but there was a fatal flaw in his request: there was no confession of sin. He did not say, “I have sinned,” He only wanted God to take away the frogs.

If we could chart the honest prayers of confession alongside the prayers to just take away the consequences of our sins, which column do you think would be the longest?

The alcoholic prays to take away the troubles that drinking causes, but not, “I have sinned, and I need you Lord.” The unpleasant person prays that the problems that his/her animosity has caused would be fixed, but not to deal with the bitter root in the heart. The list could continue; perhaps we could write our own sentence.

We cannot have our true life and our sin at the same time. He is ever ready to save us, so that we can say with Moses as the frogs hopped away, ” there is no one like the LORD our God.”

“Heal me, hands of Jesus,
and search out all my pain;
restore my hope, remove my fear
and bring me peace again.

Cleanse me, blood of Jesus,
take bitterness away;
let me forgive as one forgiven
and bring me peace today.”