When God Flexes

In Exodus chapter 8, we encounter three devastating plagues that reveal something profound about God's character and our own spiritual struggles. These weren't random acts of divine frustration—each plague strategically dismantled the Egyptian gods they worshiped. The frogs represented Heget, the goddess of fertility; the lice shut down all temple worship by making priests ceremonially unclean; and the flies created a clear division between God's people in Goshen and the Egyptians. What's remarkable is that these plagues weren't primarily meant to convince the Hebrews of God's power—they already knew. Instead, they were acts of mercy, giving Pharaoh and the Egyptians repeated opportunities to recognize the one true God. Yet Pharaoh's response reveals a pattern we recognize in our own lives: negotiating with God during crisis, making promises we don't keep, and returning to old patterns once relief comes. How often do we pray desperately during financial hardship, illness, or relational crisis, promising God we'll change, only to revert to our former ways once the storm passes? The real challenge isn't just escaping our 'foxholes' but asking God what He wants us to learn while we're in them. Like concrete that hardens when the mixer stops spinning, our hearts either soften toward God through continual movement in His direction, or harden through spiritual drift. The question becomes: are we drawing closer to God in our difficulties, or just waiting for relief so we can return to business as usual?