The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. (Ex. 7:18)
My husband and I love organization. We do our best to keep our home clean and situated so we can find what we need when we need it. We like for our lives to look the same way—as much as possible. We live by color-coded schedules and plan most of our activities months in advance so we can be prepared. Sometimes, though, life gets messy. Sometimes our house does, too. Those moments test our patience, but they can be necessary for God to work through us.
When God called Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh about his refusal to release the Israelites, he didn’t just ask them to go have a conversation. He asked them to issue consequences for Pharaoh’s choices. Turning every drop of water in an entire nation into blood was a messy, sticky, smelly, stomach-churning assignment. It wasn’t easy or pleasant for Moses and Aaron. It wasn’t neatly color-coded or pretty in any way.
But it’s what they were called to do, and they did it.
We’re called to obey the Lord, regardless of how it looks to us or anyone else. Our obedience may not match the nice, neat little lives we like to live, but God isn’t interested in neatness as much as he’s interested in our nearness to his heart. If it takes a mess to pull us close, he’ll make a mess.
Contemplate whether you’re more interested in neatness or nearness to God.
Bekah Shaffer lives in Kokomo, Indiana, and enjoys endless coffee, scrapbooking, speaking, and planning adventures with her husband, Ryan.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
