Fear of Flies
The last thing a kayaker does before pushing away from the shore to face white water is seal himself in his boat with a “spray skirt.” It wraps tightly around the rim of the cockpit and keeps the foam and spray on the outside of the boat. John, my Army buddy, was a great kayaker, but I remember how one day, he sealed himself in, braced hard in the water with his paddle, and pulled into the middle of a raging stream. Then suddenly, he sat bolt upright, dropped his precious paddle, and began pounding on the deck with his fists. When he sealed his spray skirt, he sealed a vicious grey fly inside. In the dark, the bug began to lunch on John’s exposed legs! I can still hear John screaming as his boat slowly turned upside down! Then it was silent save the roar of the river as his overturned boat was carried downstream, bouncing off the rocks.
That was a single biting fly. Can you imagine swarms of the little devils?
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses (Exodus 8:20, 21).
I don’t like flies. I don’t think anyone enjoys a swarm of noxious flies swarming around them, whether they are biting flies or not. Can you picture them in your eyes, in your nose, and your mouth? It was too much for Pharaoh too. This time, he agrees to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to worship the Lord, but as soon as the flies were gone, so was Pharaoh’s promise. He didn’t keep his promise.
Sometimes we’re the same way. When times are tough, we turn to the Lord and beg for help, but when He answers our prayers, we conveniently forget. Perhaps, today, we should spend some time remembering – and thanking – the Lord for all of His blessings?