What is in your hand?
In Exodus chapter 4, God has called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, and Moses is giving excuses.
Here, Moses says, "What if they don't believe me?"
God asks, "What is in your hand?"
Now, I get the whole answering a question with a question technique. It can be pretty powerful, often allowing the original questioner to gain insight that he or she did not have before. But this is one obtuse question. Moses wants proof. Moses wants the secret handshake, the secret code, something to show to people, "God is real. God exists. God told me this."
"What is in your hand?"
Sigh... A staff.
It's a piece of wood. It helps me when I walk. I use it to herd these pesky sheep. It's... just a staff.
"Throw it on the ground."
Wait, what? Why? You can imagine all the questions in Moses' mind right now. None of them are voiced, however. He throws it down, and it turns into a snake! Wait! How is that better?
Well read ahead a little and you'll see that God's snake gobbles up all the other conjured beasts from the Pharaoh's magicians... But... a lot happens in those intervening chapters... A lot of doubt and mistrust and uncertainty from other people. But Moses holds on (literally) until God says let go...
What's in my hand? What is it that God wants to show me, to reveal to me about His nature and His purpose... but I'm just holding on too tightly? What do I need to release to God so that God can show me something miraculous? What do I need to let go of to see that God can use it in a powerful way? And then, to hold on to it again until God tells me to let it go?
What's in my hand? What do I clutch tightly, too afraid, too uncertain, too faithless to let go?
What's in your hand?
Here, Moses says, "What if they don't believe me?"
God asks, "What is in your hand?"
Now, I get the whole answering a question with a question technique. It can be pretty powerful, often allowing the original questioner to gain insight that he or she did not have before. But this is one obtuse question. Moses wants proof. Moses wants the secret handshake, the secret code, something to show to people, "God is real. God exists. God told me this."
"What is in your hand?"
Sigh... A staff.
It's a piece of wood. It helps me when I walk. I use it to herd these pesky sheep. It's... just a staff.
"Throw it on the ground."
Wait, what? Why? You can imagine all the questions in Moses' mind right now. None of them are voiced, however. He throws it down, and it turns into a snake! Wait! How is that better?
Well read ahead a little and you'll see that God's snake gobbles up all the other conjured beasts from the Pharaoh's magicians... But... a lot happens in those intervening chapters... A lot of doubt and mistrust and uncertainty from other people. But Moses holds on (literally) until God says let go...
What's in my hand? What is it that God wants to show me, to reveal to me about His nature and His purpose... but I'm just holding on too tightly? What do I need to release to God so that God can show me something miraculous? What do I need to let go of to see that God can use it in a powerful way? And then, to hold on to it again until God tells me to let it go?
What's in my hand? What do I clutch tightly, too afraid, too uncertain, too faithless to let go?
What's in your hand?
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