Full Hands

“So the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?'” Exodus 4:1b

At first glance this question seems pretty straight forward, but nothing about this was straight forward. This was God’s response to Moses when he was given a glimpse into his future. Moses immediately began making excuses for not completing the assignment God had given him. As Moses stood there conversing with God regarding the unknown future of his assignment, Moses was leaning on his staff no doubt. Moses staff was the vocational tool needed to guide the sheep, and to gently nudge the ones who strayed back into the fold. Moses answered God’s question about the tool in his hand. God told him to throw it down and when he did it turned into a serpent. Moses was instructed to pick it up by the tail and when he did it returned to his staff. God’s point was that whatever Moses was instructed to do God would infuse His power into what Moses already possessed to accomplish the future plan. The lack of confidence continued for more discussion, but in the end, Moses fully understood that He had been called to an unknown future and now he had to wait for the appointed time.

I’ll bet all of us can relate to being called to an unknown future with our nation being turned upside down between the virus and the violence. It’s enough to make us all lose our confidence in any sense of our future. ‘But God did not give us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Timothy 1:7). He has given us everything that we will need to face our future, but until then we must wait well WITH Him, not wait ON Him. It is easy to wrestle with our doubts when considering an unknown tomorrow. We can combat our fear by reminding ourselves that our future is secure in the Lord and has been perfectly planned for each of us. ‘Fear forces our mind to oppose the truth we know about God. Looking forward to the future has the potential to be intimidating when things are bleak or unclear. We just need to relax in the pause, stay present in the present, and embrace God’s plan. Staying present is where we experience God. The present is where we sense God’s nearness, see His power, and are seasoned with His love.’ Wait and See, Wendy Pope, p. 25-26.

Just like the staff of Moses, God has given us everything we need in His word to move forward in courage and faith. When we hold our Bibles daily in our hands, we hold God’s power, truth and promise. That is our answer to the world's question of ‘What is that in your hand?’