My Plans. His Plans.

...Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. The LORD had said to Moses, "Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt." (Exodus 11:8-9 NIV84)

Have you ever found yourself fighting with God?  Moses did.  We already looked at the fact that Moses' anger was a weak spot.  He murdered a man because his anger got out of control.  That put him in the wilderness for over 40 years to calm him down.  Now, at the ripe young age of 80, Moses is being called by God to face Pharaoh. It wasn't going so well...at least not from Moses' perspective.

God sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to "let My people go."  Pharaoh refused.  God brought a plague.  Pharaoh let them go.  Pharaoh changed his mind and brought them back.  Variations of this patter continue time after time after time again.  When's Pharaoh going to get it?  Why does it have to be this hard?

Moses leaves Pharaoh after one of these confrontations "hot with anger."  Anger over what?  Was he angry that Pharaoh wasn't giving in?  Was he angry that it was taking so long?  Was he angry that the Egyptians would once again pay for Pharaoh's stubbornness?  Was he angry that Pharaoh was just wrong...and needed to change?  It doesn't say.

Whatever the reason, though, Moses has no good reason to be angry.  You see, God's plan was working it's way out exactly as God knew it would.  In fact, God had told Moses that the plan was going to work out that way.  This wasn't just about setting God's people free.  It was about setting the Egyptians free as well.  God was taking the time necessary to show the Egyptians that Pharaoh was not a god.  He was showing Pharaoh that fact as well.  By the end of the struggle, "The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.  (Exodus 11:3 NIV84)  Egypt was plundered.  Pharaoh was dead.  The Egyptians knew who God really was.

Often times, our anger or frustration comes from not getting our way.  Even when we are trying to do God's work, we may find ourselves not getting our way.  But when we walk closely with God, we walk in His ways and there is no anger.  Not only that, as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us.  We start to understand His ways a little better each time.  Then we find ourselves able to simply do our part and watch as our Amazing God does His.

Don't fight for your plans.
Do your part of His.