“The Lord said to him, “what is that in your hand?...” Exodus 4:2a
I love a thrilling yarn about a hero on a quest to defeat evil. All the way back to Homer’s Iliad however, these tales involve a very certain formula. The hero is called, the hero endures some type of obedience to that call, and finally the hero is specially equipped to defeat whatever evil that will manifest in his path. Young King Arthur finds the mighty sword Excalibur which aids in his many knightly quests. Perseus slays the evil Medusa with the mighty sword Harpe, gifted by his father Zeus. In the numerous Marvel movie offerings, Thor regularly employs his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, to banish whatever evil exists in his path. Bilbo Baggins, in the Hobbit series, wields the short sword Sting which glows blue when enemies come near. But over and above all these, the most surprising item to accompany a mighty quest comes directly from the pages of God’s Word in the book of Exodus. And in true Godly form, Almighty God uses the normal and mundane of this world to do the extraordinary.
The book of Exodus does indeed start a grand saga. It sees an 80-year-old murderer-shepherd met in the desert by God at the feet of a burning bush. And as God prepares Moses spiritually and emotionally, He provides Moses a tool that will indeed be pivotal in the duration of the saga. But it is not a magical hammer forged in the heat of a star. Nor was it a magical sword that protected hobbits from orcs. Yes, as God prepared Moses, he simply looked to what Moses had in his hand. The simple, ordinary, wooden staff of a shepherd.
I think too often, we as Christians, feel that we need something super special to truly serve the Lord capably. We feel that to do battle for the kingdom of Almighty God we need a super special weapon. But folks, over and over throughout the Word of God you see God use the normal and even underestimated things of this world to do His extraordinary work. In Judges 3:31 God used what was in the hand of Shamgar to kill 600 Philistines and deliver the Israelite people…an ox goad. (a long wooden pole with a metal blade to spur the oxen and to scrape clean the plow) In Judges 15:15 God used what was in the hand of Samson to slay 1,000 enemies…the fresh jawbone of a donkey. In 1 Samuel 17:49 God used what was in the hand of young David to slay the massive Philistine that taunted the entire Israelite army into submission…5 smooth stones. And in possibly the most beautiful demonstration, God used what was in the hand of an anonymous boy to feed over 10,000 people, even having leftovers…5 loaves and 2 fish.
Folks, the beauty of God is that He is the same today as He was yesterday. In fact, He is the same today as He was 3,000 years ago when the book of Exodus was penned. God does not change, His word does not change, and His promises do not change. And thus, He continues to work in the same ways today as yesterday. And to do that He uses ordinary people with ordinary things in their hands. What do you have in your hands today? Well, whatever it may be, it is sufficient in the power of the Lord to conquer whatever is in your path to achieve whatever the Lord has called you to do. And friends, from here on, the battle is not with the world, but with your own faith.
You see, as Moses stood there bare footed, trembling before the Lord, he did not truly believe in what he had in his hand. Even after seeing his staff of wood transform into a serpent (one so real he ran from it) he still could not spur his faith to the point of seeing himself used in God’s plan. And it is here, that possibly three of the biggest “buts” appear in scripture. As God reveals His plan to Moses to set His people free from Egyptian slavery, He utters 5 of the most powerful words in existence to encourage Moses, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) Yet Moses responds with these words, “But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:10,13) You see, Moses was just a regular ol’ guy. Too often we forget that Bible people did not realize they were living in Bible times. They were just regular people called to do extraordinary things for the Lord. And Christian brothers and sisters, God has not stopped using the weak of this world to shame the strong and the foolish of this day to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Today is the Lord calling you to do something that seems impossible to you? Is He calling you to international missions, yet you cannot fathom how that life could ever materialize? Look at what He has placed in your hand, a faith that can say to the mountains, move, and they will move. (Matthew 17:20) Is He calling you to be a pastor, Sunday school teacher, or youth leader at your church, yet you feel woefully underqualified for such a task? Look at what He has placed in your hand, the very Holy Spirit of God to guide you, speak for you, and instruct you. Is He calling you to a deeper relationship with Him, one that sees you deeply abiding in Him daily and becoming better prepared to share the gospel with everyone He places in your life? Simply look at what He has placed in your hand, the unlimited power of His Holy Word, the very Words that spoke creation into existence and call lost souls into eternal salvation.
Folks, with Jesus as your Savior and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, it is not simply what is in your hand… but who controls it. See not the item but the Creator. See not the circumstance but the One that dictates its outcome. See not the obstacle but the God that will remove it to see His will done. Today, I pray that you do not offer God a “but”, yet a faithful yes. I pray that even as you look at that simple wooden staff in your hand, you do not see the wood…but the way. For God still uses the simple of this world to do miracles. And He desires to use you, His child, to see His kingdom grown.
May you, in this day, be used by the Lord in mighty ways ~ Dan
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