My Devotional: What Putin, Pharaoh and Potato Prices Have in Common

What Putin, Pharaoh and Potato Prices Have in Common

By Liz Omondi | Email. liz.omondi09@gmail.com | image courtesy: jpost.com, the economic times,

It’s was raining missiles in Ukraine on Monday. This came as a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Ukraine of an ‘act of terrorism’ following a deadly explosion that destroyed the only bridge linking Russia and Crimea. Ukraine hasn’t claimed responsibility for this explosion. The war between the two nations seems to be far from over.

Putin’s unrelenting assault on Ukraine reminds me of Pharaoh who refused to let the Israelites go. Moses came to him severally asking for the release of the chosen people of God and so that they may be delivered from the oppression and slavery by the ruthless Egyptians and go worship the one true God. Both Putin and Pharaoh have this similar stubborn streak that does care about the negative impact of their decisions the lives of those whom they oppress.

In addition, the war has had domino effect on the rest of the world with food and fuel prices going up and inflation rates shooting the rooftops. All this happening even before nations recover from the ravaging effects of COVID-19 on lives and economies.

In addition, the war is a reminder of what Jesus said in Matthew 24:6-7,

“You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

Closer home, inflation is soaring. According to a situation update from a humanitarian response dashboard, it says “four back-to-back below average rainy seasons in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) region of Kenya have led to the longest drought in at least 40 years, leaving 4.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance according to the revised Kenya Drought Flash Appeal.”

This past week when I visited my local open air market where I buy groceries, I could hardly believe that the doubled price of a bucket of potatoes that I usually buy. I stood still for almost three minutes debating in my mind what other alternatives I had and how that would affect the family menu for the next month.

Almost immediately, I remembered Bible times in Genesis when famine had spread all over the world, but news had reached Jacob that there was grain in Egypt. So he sent his sons to go there and buy some grain so that they may live and not die. I wondered where todays Egypt was and I thought of Ukraine where many countries rely on her for their grains and how the war has adversely affected exports and imports of grain and other commodities from that country.

Should all these depressing times surprise us? Nope. These were all predicted would happen in the last days. Christ Jesus continued in Matthew 24:7b-8,

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

Paul warns young Timothy about what will happen in the last days. He says,

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

So what does this mean as a Christian? What should we do with such knowledge? Several Scriptures do help us in how we should live as children of God. One of them is in 2 Peter 3:11, it says,

“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Verse 14 and 15 continues, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

So what does Putin, Pharaoh and potatoe prices have in common? Well, apart from each beginning with a letter ‘p’, the events around them were all predicted by Sovereign God in His Word. Let’s not be surprised by them, but live holy lives. They are all a reminder that we are truly living in the last days.