Hard-hearted Pharaoh.
Plague after plague,
he refuses the request
or goes back on his word.
Then.
Misery yields his
sudden
confession of sin. [Exodus 10:16-17]
Locusts
And Pharaoh pleads.
With urgency.
ANYTHING
to get the
locusts
out of the yard
and off the
dining room table.
Stone heart
But a stone heart
soon forgets.
And even
pressing darkness
doesn’t change his mind.
Barricaded as it is.
With stubborn pride.
Lip service
Sometimes
plagues
or discomforts
birth temporary repentance.
Lip service
without
radical heart change.
Disobedient
Even in
tangible, confining
darkness,
the disobedient
spout conditions
for their surrender
to His ways.
And miss the freedom
found in wholehearted,
open-handed
release.
To the Lord God Almighty.
Pharaohs
O Lord,
how terrible the night
for those Pharaohs
who stubbornly refuse
Your Word.
And miss
Your glory.
What about you?
How do you pray for those resistant to the Word of the Lord?
Related posts
Door of No Return – Matters of the heart – Engraved – Keep singing – Paths and prophets – Disregard for Truth – Sanctuary: Psalm 73 – Exodus 10-11
13 replies on “Pharaoh”
These nuggets are poems, Susan, and the story the poems tell is compelling — as is the question at the end of your entry. Thank you
Thanks for your encouragement, Ellie!
Praying for the Pharaoh of today!!! May God render their hearts surrendered. Thanks for putting into words my thoughts.
Yes, I’m praying for this too. Grace to you.
Very timely word!
My son’s best friend is from Zimbabwe.
His dad is the only believer in his family.
Night before last we prayed for his grandfather recovering from a broken ankle bone. By morning he had passed away.
Now his father is flying back to Zimbabwe to speak to all his unbelieving family…AGAIN…of Jesus and the hope He affords.
Won’t you pray with us that these Pharoahs in his family will turn to Jesus and be set free?
Yes! I’m praying now for this family.
This is beautifully written. I had to read it several times to make sure each word sunk in. This is one of my favorite things you have written. I’m saving it to read again and again. Thank you
Thank you, friend!
“conditions for surrender to God’s ways” WOW! I will keep that thought in my heart! Thank you!
What good poetry. This has lots of meaning.
Thank you, Ann. Nice to hear from you.
It’s hard. I pray for hard hearts all the time. I pray for them to have dreams and visions, for the Spirit to soften them. For circumstances to soften them. For Truth to penetrate. It’s hard to keep on. It hurts my heart to see especially those I call friends whose hearts are hard. And I have questions: How long do we keep praying? Is there a time we stop doing this? Thanks for your words.
Thanks for sharing this struggle and questions I’ve asked too. Yes, it’s hard! I remember when I wrote these lyrics: “How long, O Lord, how long before they know You…? It seems too far to hope for and we wonder….” Someday we will see but for now we watch and pray and trust Him.