The Treadmill of the Present

The Treadmill of the Present
… a new beginning! 
Terry R. Baughman

And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, …, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, .…” So he said, “Tomorrow.” (Exodus 8:9–10).

The devastating plagues of judgment against the Pharaoh and the Egyptians are revealed in the Book of Exodus. Ten times the Lord brings various calamities upon the people in an effort to change the heart of their ruler and thereby allow Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage to return to the land of promise. Moses was called by God to represent Him and the children of Israel before Pharaoh and to request their release. 

Pharaoh was not inclined to hear of this great army of slave laborers leaving their posts and vacating the land of which they had lived and labored for over 400 years. Each succeeding plague seemed to grow more intense until the people were ready to thrust them out of the land to escape the hand of judgment that God had brought upon them.

A most interesting response from Pharaoh took place in the second plague, the infestation of frogs. When the rivers, the land, and their houses were overrun with the amphibians, Pharaoh was ready to surrender to the demands of Moses. He agreed the people could leave the land to offer sacrifices; a promise from which he would renege. Nevertheless, Moses favored Pharaoh with the honor of setting the time when relief from the frogs would take place. It is incredible to read his response. Faced with such an incredible catastrophe of having frogs everywhere, and given the opportunity to be freed from the scourge, Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow!”

Tomorrow? Why not NOW! Why would anyone who is suffering choose to delay promised relief for another minute? Was it a lacking in faith, disbelief in the solution? Was it a delay to see if things would just get better without intervention? 

We will never know for sure. However, we may find ourselves in a similar situation. Sometimes we choose to remain in our cycle of despair when deliverance is promised. Some have heard of the power of God to change lives and bring hope for the future and yet continue on in their sins waiting for another day. 

Procrastination is the enemy of a present victory. Delay will only postpone the promise. When God makes a promise it is ours for the taking. Why wait for a more convenient moment? Why postpone a promise when you can claim the resolution in God’s favor? 

Like a hamster on a wheel we sometimes are caught up in the routine of our present situation and running on a treadmill of our present predicament. Stuck in the present it seems we can never get beyond the moment and into the miracle. As much as we want to believe that God has a promise for us it is sometimes easier to walk the same repetitious path of suffering than to leap into the future of God’s fulfilled promises. Today let’s take the leap of faith and leave the treadmill of the present in the past of disbelief. 
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Scripture:
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV).