Morning Moments

The hand is an amazing member of the body!  I can assist in protecting us, defending us, feeding us, helping others, holding us up, greeting others, and hundreds of other useful things.  But the hand can be a very dangerous weapon also, not only in abuse, abduction, and attack, but also in its ability to hold an object that can do massive damage, such as a hammer, a knife, a gun, or any other weapon.  We must never under estimate the power or the purpose of the hand.

There is a verse in the Bible in Exodus 4:2, where God simply asks Moses, "What is in your hand?"  It seems a simple question, but it had profound implications.  The answer was simply "a rod".  It is amazing what God can do with a man or a woman fully yielded to Him.  It is also amazing what God can do with an old "bush" as it burned and burned and burned previously in Moses life when God appeared to him.  But a rod!  A mere stick to lean on, to help guide and guard sheep...a rod!  Of what use is that?  Why would God be so interested in that?  Because that simple stick would become the great "ROD of  GOD"!

"This was Moses’ shepherd crook or staff. It was nothing special to look at, and Moses’ blunt answer indicates he did not see anything special in it either. But when that rod was yielded to God, it was given the significant name of “the rod of God” (Exodus 4:20; 17:9) and was used by God in some very prominent ways. It became part of a miracle in which it turned into a snake. It was used in the plagues (Exodus 9:23; 10:13) and to open the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16). It was used to bring water from a rock (Exodus 17:5, 6) and to give victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8–13). We may appraise what is in our hands as of little value, but given to God it can accomplish much." (Butler)

The issue is not how we see things, but how God sees them.  He has the power to use what and whom He pleases, when He pleases, how He pleases, for whatever purpose He pleases, where He pleases, do what then, is His problem with using YOU or ME?  "What is in your hand?"