When God called Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, Moses came up with a lot of excuses and “what-ifs?” (Read Exodus 3-4). In this story, He asked Moses several questions to provoke awareness. But one question stands out above the rest:
What is that in your hand? Exodus 4:2
Moses was currently serving his father-in-law as a shepherd and he had carried his staff around for years. He probably never gave it a second thought. The fact that God drew his attention to this wooden rod meant He intended for it to become a significant piece of equipment for Moses’ new responsibility–leading the Jews out of Egypt.
When Moses finally embarked on his journey to face Pharaoh (Exod. 4:20), he took what he now called “the staff of God.” This rod had become more than a shepherd’s staff. It now represented the power of God that led the Israelites to freedom. (See Exodus 7:9-12; 15-20; 8:5-17; 9:23; 10:13; 14:16; 17:5-16).
- What do you have in your “hand” that God can use in a greater way if you’ll let Him?