What is in your hand?
"Moses answered [God], 'What if they [the Israelites] do not believe me or listen to me and say, "The LORD did not appear to you"?' Then the LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A staff,' he replied. The LORD said, 'Throw it on the ground.' Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.' So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand."1
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for some 430 years and now God was calling Moses to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh to let God's people go. This was to deliver them from slavery and lead them to the Promised Landâ€"the land that God had promised them many years before through Abraham.
Because he wasn't good at speaking, Moses didn't feel that he would be able to take on this seemingly impossible task. So God challenged Moses by saying, "What is that in your hand?" and then performed an unusual miracle with Moses' staff. This was to ensure Moses that God would be with him to convince the Israelites that God had called him, and to assure Moses that God would perform any miracles needed to convince Pharaoh to ultimately let God's people go.
Fast forward to today's world in which God has a work for you and me to do in each of the areas we live. Many of us may not feel capable of doing anything significant for God and consequently sit back and virtually waste our lives by not fulfilling God's purpose for it. So God's question to each of us today is: "What is that in your hand?"
In other words, what God-given gifts do you have? What do you enjoy doing and do reasonably well? What would you like to be doing if you had the opportunity? These activities usually indicate what your staff is; that is, the gift or gifts that are in your hand. Whatever these are, be sure to put these abilities to good use in serving God, remembering that we serve God by serving people.
When you stand before Jesus and give an account of your life, be sure that you don't stand there holding your staff that appears as if it were just taken out of the gift box. We want to be sure to use what God has given us for his glory and be a productive part of God's family.
Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gifts you have placed in my hand. Help me to get the best training possible so I can make the best use of my staff for effective service, and to find ways to use it to serve and bring honor to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Exodus 4:1-4 (NIV).
Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.
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