WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?
Exodus 4:1-4, "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:"
Here is a story from the life of one of the greatest Prophets of God that ever lived. In the beginning it didn’t seem that Moses would be a candidate for that great honor. Moses’ life began as he was set afloat in a tar filled basket to escape the sword of Pharaoh’s army. Then God brought him to be raised in very house of that one who desired to kill him. Then Moses killed a man and ran for his life, leaving his position of power and authority in Egypt to dwell in the backside of the desert where he could learn the ability to humble himself before God at the burning bush.
Moses became the great leader of Israel that would lead them from bondage and slavery in Egypt. When he left the Palace of Pharaoh the first time, it was to flee under the guilt and sentence of death. When he came again it was under the anointing and direction of the King of Glory.
Pharaoh, the god-man of Egypt, was about to come face to face with the One True God of Israel.
Yes, Moses became a great man of God, a great Prophet, and would lead God’s people free, but Moses was not so eager to perform the great task for which he had been chosen by God. In fact he was fearful, doubtful and filled with excuses of why he couldn’t obey the call of God to be the spokesman for God in the presence of the powerful man on the face of the earth.
Through those long years that Moses spent as a shepherd he had carried a long rod that was used a tool and a weapon in caring for the sheep. With that rod he would be able to climb the side of sheer rock to rescue stray sheep. With that rod he would be able to climb down those same sheer rock faces once again. That rod could be laid across open chasms to use as a bridge to cross over to the other side. That rod could be used to strike at a wild animal or a man who would attempt to steal the sheep. That rod could be used to block the blows of any who try to attack Moses. Thus the rod was a tool that Moses came to trust, and to guard very carefully lest he would become defenseless. That rod, and his natural ability were the only things that Moses had that God wanted.
God didn’t call Moses and then give him an army of men to destroy Pharaoh. God didn’t even give Moses a sword with which to fight. God used what Moses already had. He used a dead, wooden rod to show his power to both Moses and to Pharaoh.
God often calls us to his service with just what we have in our hand.
God called Moses to do a mighty work for God – the freedom and deliverance of God’s chosen people was at stake and God chose a stuttering, meek, humble, frightened, doubting, excuse filled man, on the run for murdering an Egyptian, to perform that mighty work.
Moses would not have been my pick for the job and I don’t think that any of you would have picked him either. He just didn’t seem like the leadership type at this point in his life. To the natural eye it seemed that Moses could not be the right man for the job and he even said so himself.
But God saw something in Moses that man cannot see. He saw the heart of a man who would commit his all to God’s work. He saw a man that would not back down in the face of opposition, even under the threat of death. God saw a man who would become one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world.
Aren’t you glad that God can see what man can’t see! Man would look upon you and I and say, “You won’t amount to anything. You don’t have the intelligence to even come in out of the rain. What makes you think that God can and will use you? What makes you so special that God would choose you out of all the people who walk the face of the earth?”
God looks upon the heart and understands the character. God sees how that weaknesses can be turned into strengths and how doubts can be changed to faith, and how defeat can be made into victory.
God’s question to Moses is the same question to you I right now? What’s that in your hand? What is it that you have that I can use to show my power and glory through your obedience to me?
All Moses had was a dead, dried up, old stick! That rod had no power in itself, but my, oh my, what God could do with that dead stick!
What do you have to offer God?
Maybe you don’t carry around a dead stick but you have a living body that you could give to him! You don’t carry around a dead stick but you carry the power of the Holy Ghost within you! You don’t carry around a dead stick but you carry Jesus wherever you go!
Look at what happened to Moses’ rod when he cast it down to be used by God! That old dead, dried up stick turned into a serpent. It all happened so fast that it scared Moses and he ran from the serpent.
I don’t know if you have ever experienced the power of God moving through you to perform a mighty miracle for him but sometimes it can be almost frightening.
I’ve seen the times when God would use my finite mind and this fleshly body to bring forth a powerful message that would touch the hearts and lives of people. I’ve seen the times when God would give me a Word of Knowledge or a Word of Prophecy for another Christian and it’s a scary thing to walk up in front of someone you don’t know and begin to tell them what God has placed on your heart.
Questions begin to pop up like, “Is this really you speaking to me God? What if it doesn’t come true? What if? What If?”
I cannot blame Moses for running from the rod turned into a snake. I would probably have been running too and saying, “Feet don’t fail me now”.
Why would God turn that rod into a snake in the first place? Could not God have made it into a mouse, or a dog or cat, or some less frightening animal?
God turned that rod into a snake because the serpent was the symbol of power that was worn on the crown of Pharaoh. It was as though God was saying to Moses, “I created the power and glory that Pharaoh claims as his own and I can take that power from him at will. All I want is someone to speak for me and I’ll strip Pharaoh of all power.”
God can take whatever you have and use it to perform mighty works for his Kingdom. He can take your hand and cause them to work for the Lord in a way that you never dreamed possible. He can take your feet and use them to carry the gospel to the four corners of the earth. He can take one little old pea pickin’ brain and use that obedient servant to touch the lives of the educated elite with the message of the gospel. God can take anything you have and use it if you will let him.
Moses’ rod wasn’t the only one that God used to signify the destruction of Pharaoh’s power.
Exodus 7:10-12, "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods."
You see; it wasn’t the man behind the rod that brought about the miracle. All the man had to do was to cast it down at God’s command and allow God to use what he carried in his hand to show forth the glory and power of God.
God can use any of us! God can use all of us! God just wants us to cast down what we have so that he can use it for his own glory and to make his power manifest through us.
The rod carried no special powers. Moses and Aaron had no special abilities. They were both just willing vessels and tools to be used by God to perform mighty miracles.
So what if you aren’t beautiful singer! So what if you aren’t a great speaker! So what if you don’t think that you have any special abilities! If you have those abilities, cast them at the feet of Jesus and let him use them for his glory. If you don’t have them, cast yourself at his feet and he will use you for his glory.
All that God is looking for is a willing vessel! He isn’t looking for those who will stand with pride to show off their own talent. He isn’t looking for those who lift themselves up on a pedestal as though they were God’s only choice.
God is looking for anyone and everyone who will just lay their life down at his feet and say Jesus, use me! Jesus, make me what you want me to be! God, mold me and make me after the image that you have in mind for me, just let my life count for you!
What do you have in your hand? Whatever you have – God can change it to be a useful tool in his service: whoever you are – God can change you into a vessel of honor in his kingdom to reach souls for Christ.
It’s not what you have or who you are, but it is the power and glory of God manifested through you that can make the difference.
Maybe God wants to use you to deliver his message. Maybe God wants to use you to show forth his power and glory to a lost and dying world!
Will you cast down what you hold in your hand? Will you give it all to Jesus? He is waiting for your answer.
