He rose at dawn, Pharaoh proud and still.

But the river had heard the cry.

Moses stood with staff in hand,

The Nile turned red under the sky.

“Let My people go,” the Lord had said,

Pharaoh’s heart was stone.

The fish gasped, the water stank,

Yet he walked away alone.

Blood in bowls, blood in streams,

Even magicians played their part,

But imitation cannot cleanse,

Nor soften a hardened heart.

Seven days the river wept,

As Egypt dug in vain.

Justice had touched the water’s edge,

And mercy waited in the pain.

“Pharaoh ruled a nation, but God ruled the moment.” “The staff struck water, not to impress, but to confront. Pharaoh had no power over the One who made the river run.” As in ancient history, it’s a mirror held up to modern hearts. Some people still behave like Pharaoh: they hear God’s voice but resist it. They see His works but try to replicate or outshine them. They want control, not surrender.
They may say, “I can fix this faster,” or “I know better,” or even “God’s way is too slow, too soft, too inconvenient.” But like Pharaoh, they miss the truth: God doesn’t need to impress, He moves to transform.

“The Pharaoh in Us”

‘A Devotional Thought‘

God speaks. We resist. God acts. We imitate. But only God prevails.

We build kingdoms of control, craft clever plans, and call it wisdom.

But the river still turns to blood when injustice flows unchecked. And the staff still strikes when pride refuses to bend.

Let us not be Pharaohs in disguise, ruling moments that were meant for surrender.