What's in your hand?

God asks Moses,“What is that in your hand?” (Ex. 4:2). God is asking us the same question. He is not asking us about our ability, but availability, not our strength, but our weakness. When we look at ourselves, we see our limits, and not God's omnipresence and sovereignty. That is why God asked Moses what was in his hand. God was not interested in the fact that Moses was a murderer, the former child of Pharaoh's sister, had an interracial marriage, or a speech impediment. God wanted to take who was at the moment and the rod in his hand and deliver His people Israel from bondage.

What did Moses do with that rod? It turned into a serpent that ate up the magicians snakes (Exodus 7:10). Moses used the rod  to split the waters; the Red Sea opened so that God's people could walk out on dry land. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen” (Exodus14:15-18).

Moses led the people in war with the staff: " Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand” (Exodus 17:9). The rod was the answer to satanic attack; it was the path to deliverance; it was the means of provision. We have all we need to do the work God has sent us to do.

Unfortunately, we can use the tools God has given us inappropriately. Moses did  strike the rock, which represented Jesus, with that very staff. For that offense, he did not enter the Promised Land. Numbers 20: 9:12 states,So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” This story is a cautionary tale and a lesson for who will wield the authority God has given us. It is not our authority; it is God's, and we must always regard Him as holy.

What's in your hand: is it a staff or five loaves and a few fishes? God will use it and multiply for His purposes.

Jesus told Paul that his strength was perfecting in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is not about us; it is about Him. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that "we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

In His hands,
mj

mj