The God Who Shows Up When It Counts

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

God doesn’t play games. When He says He’s going to move, He moves. Exodus 11 drops us into the final warning before the ultimate showdown; the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn. This isn’t just ancient history or theological theory. This is the moment when Yahweh pulls back the curtain and reveals who’s really running the show.

Pharaoh had nine chances to wake up. Nine opportunities to recognize that the God of a enslaved people was actually the God of everything. But pride is a hell of a drug, and sometimes we’d rather cling to our kingdoms than surrender to the King. Moses walks into the palace one last time, delivers the hardest message he’s ever had to speak, and walks out in “hot anger.” Even God’s messengers get fed up with stubbornness.

Here’s what wrecks me: God could have skipped all the warnings. He could have dropped plague number ten on day one. But He didn’t. He gave chance after chance, sign after sign, opportunity after opportunity. The plagues weren’t divine tantrums, they were escalating invitations to acknowledge reality.

Fast forward to the cross. Same pattern, different scale. God doesn’t desire anyone’s destruction; He desires everyone’s redemption. But He won’t force it. The Passover lamb’s blood on the doorposts pointed forward to another Lamb, another blood, another escape from death. God shows up when it counts, and He’s already shown up in Jesus. The question is: are we still playing pharaoh, or are we finally ready to let God be God?

Devotional Prompts:

Where in your life are you resisting God’s authority because surrendering feels like losing control? What would it look like to stop fighting and start trusting?
The plagues progressively revealed God’s sovereignty over every aspect of Egyptian life and religion. What areas of your world do you still need to see God’s lordship over?
Pharaoh hardened his heart repeatedly until God confirmed that hardness. How does persistent resistance to God’s voice change us over time?
The final plague required the Israelites to act in faith, applying blood to their doorposts. What is God asking you to do in obedience right now, even if it doesn’t make complete sense?
How does understanding God’s patience with Pharaoh change the way you view His patience with you and with others who seem far from Him?

Prayer: Sovereign God, forgive us for the times we’ve played pharaoh with our own lives, clinging to lesser kingdoms while You offer us Your eternal reign. Give us the wisdom to recognize Your voice, the courage to obey immediately, and the humility to surrender completely. Thank You for Your relentless pursuit of us, even when we run. Amen.