Exodus 4:1-5
Most of us think we’re one improvement away from being useful or successful. If I had more time… more money… more confidence… more training… then God could really use me. We think we need more to do more. Because of that conviction, we spend a lot of energy focusing on what we don’t have and minimizing what we do.
Moses had the same approach. When God called him to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of slavery, Moses immediately began listing his objections. He wasn’t convincing enough. He wasn’t qualified enough. What if no one believed him? Instead of answering all of Moses’ excuses, God asked a simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2). Moses replied, “A staff.” It was nothing special, just a shepherd’s staff he carried every day. Yet that ordinary piece of wood would become the instrument God used to display His extraordinary power.
God often works that way. He doesn’t usually begin with what we wish we had. He begins with what He’s already placed in our hands. Your “staff” may not look impressive. It might be the ability to encourage people. A home where you can practice hospitality. The ordinary tasks of raising the kids God has given you. The workplace to go to every day. A skill you’ve developed over the years. Your story of God’s faithfulness through suffering. A willingness to serve when no one else notices.
Whatever it is, don’t underestimate it. The question isn’t whether what you have is enough. The question is whether you’re willing to place what you have in God’s hands. See, the miracle was never in the staff; it was in the God who chose to use it. And the same God still delights in using ordinary people who surrender ordinary things. Don’t wait until you have everything you think you need. Faithfulness starts right where you are by offering what you already have.
Spend a few moments and reflect. Do you tend to focus on what you lack or on what God has already given you? What’s one thing already “in your hand” that you could offer to him today?
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor