Mensa Otabil - What Do You Have
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Exodus 4:2 and 3. So the Lord said to him, «What is in your hand?» And he said, «A rod.» And He said, «Cast it on the ground.» So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it. God responded to Moses, saying, «Listen to the complaints, listen to the protest.» And then He responded to him. But in responding to him, God helped Moses to focus, so He asked Moses to focus on what was in his hand. His question was, «What is in your hand? What’s in your hand?» He wasn’t angry; He was trying to refocus Moses. As usual, as we’ve learned, when God asks us a question, He’s not seeking information from us; He’s helping us to focus on something. So, He’s helping Moses to focus on something he had in his hand. That means that Moses already had within his hand the tools he needed for the assignment. God was not going to bring something from outside; he already had it.
Moses said, «A rod.» We are not too sure of the purpose of that rod. It probably was used for doing his work as a shepherd or to aid him in walking. Remember, Moses is about 80 years old at this time, so probably it was a walking stick or it was a shepherd’s staff. But whatever it was, it was something he always had with him. Even in the presence of God, he didn’t throw away the rod; he removed his sandals, but a rod was in his hand. So God was using something that he was familiar with, something that he held in his hand, something that was always with him. And that is how the Lord uses us; He doesn’t use us by making us go and look for something that is way beyond us. He uses what we have in our hand. Many times, the things you already have that you may think have no value, have no power, and have no significance are the things that God will use for His glory.
And then He tells Moses, «Throw it to the ground.» So Moses throws the rod to the ground, and a transformation takes place; the rod becomes a snake. So God transforms what is in Moses’s hand, and it is that transformation that He was going to use for later victories. So Moses threw the rod down; it became a snake, and the Bible says that Moses fled from the serpent. I don’t think he was afraid of serpents because he was a wilderness man; he was familiar with serpents. He had seen tons and tons of them; he probably dealt with them all the time. He probably even used a stick to kill them. But he was surprised that this ordinary-looking stick could experience transformation. Many times, God is able to transform us in ways that shock us ourselves. So Moses was shocked by the transformation that took place. God took something unremarkable and did something extraordinary with it.
So, whatever God is calling you to do, whatever He’s charged you to do, if you’re trying to figure out how it’s going to be done, consider what you already have in your hand. It could be the training you already have; it could be a skill you already have; it could be a relationship you already have. It just could be something that to you looks so ordinary, so powerless, and ineffective. But God sees it differently. Because for that great task He has for you, He’s already prepared you for it; He’s already put something in your hand for it. So may the Lord help you to see what you have in your hand so that you can use it to execute the assignment He has for you.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are the Lord of all power. I acknowledge the power at work through me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»