No one writes your ending but God.

Every chapter of your life, someone is holding the pen. There is always a Hand above the hand of your enemy.

“Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. ² Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbours for articles of silver and gold.” ³ (The Lord made the Egyptians favourably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.) ⁴ So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. ⁵ Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶ There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. ⁷ But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. ⁸ All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh. ⁹ The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.” (Exodus 11)

The river had turned to blood. Then came the frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts and then the darkness; all these were displaying that God was the true God above all the gods of Egypt.

Still Pharaoh would not release God’s people.

Now God tells Moses there will be one more. But this time it wasn’t a final request but an announcement.

*About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.*

This time He needs no instrument. He simply comes.

His coming will bring loud wailing and yet His people and even their dogs will be at peace.

*Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.*

We know ultimately what is coming next because we have read the story many times. But here in this moment, Moses walks out of that final audience with Pharaoh, ‘hot with anger’. He has pleaded with this man nine times and seen him go back on his promise every single time.

One thing that Moses carried in his mind was what God had also said to him.

*Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you — so that my wonders may be multiplied.*

Even the toughest battles of life, and many refusals we may face, are never outside God’s plan. It is at these times which God chooses to display Himself.

No one ever writes the ending. God does.