And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee…And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent…but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.…And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite they brother? I know that he can speak well… – Exodus 4:1-5, 10,13-14
Here, we see Moses was preparing to go to Egypt. God wanted to use him to free the children of Israel out of bondage. Moses had been in Midian, a desert place, working as a shepherd. A tool that he used on a daily basis was a shepherd’s rod. The rod is a simple thing, with a curved end, used to keep sheep safe within the flock. In His preparation of Moses to go into Egypt, God showed him that he had just what he needed. Moses had his rod, and also, he had his brother Aaron to speak for him. Moses just needed to trust God with what he already had in his hand.
When I taught at a daycare, I was put in charge of the “art table.” I have never really been considered the creative type, and when my supervisor asked me to be in charge of the art table, I laughed. She reminded me that I was teaching four-year-olds and to keep it simple. The daycare was stocked with supplies, and thankfully, I was just a click away from a plethora of ideas on Pinterest. As I embarked on this weekly new adventure, I soon realized that teaching art was not that bad! I also discovered that I was enjoying creating arts and crafts. Plus, seeing the children having a fun time as they each made their own unique craft was its own reward. I never had to ask for supplies because they were already in the classroom within an arm’s reach. I could use what was already there. It gave a whole new meaning to the term, “Just use what you have!” Many of the crafts we did were simple and fun, and I did not have to run to the store each time we needed something. I just used what we had.
In our Christian lives, God asks us, “What is that in thine hand?” God has given each of us something that we can use for Him and for His glory. We should ask ourselves, “What is that simple thing I already have?” While it can be easy to compare what we have been given to what others may have, we should not. What God uses does not need to be fancy or extravagant. God used Moses’ simple, everyday tool, his rod.
Who can we invest in by using what is in our hands?
- Our family members
- Our friends
- Our co-workers
- Total strangers
- The lost
- Children in the nursery
- Students in our Sunday School class
- Our school students
- The pastor
- Our neighbors
- New Christians
- The home-bound
- Those who are sick and suffering
- People we sit next to in church
While this is a great start, the list could go on and on!
How do we invest in others by using what is in our hands?
- Make a list of others’ needs and pray for them.
- Write notes of encouragement, sharing how have the recipient has been a blessing.
- Give a simple smile.
- Listen without talking.
- Share the Gospel.
- Show compassion in deeds and words.
- Be present. The hurting often just need someone to be near and available.
- Be faithful.
- Write a devotion.
- Send a text.
- Bake cookies or a favorite dessert.
- Offer to babysit.
- Take them to lunch.
- No matter what, strive to be an encouragement, not a discouragement.
We should each ask ourselves, “What has God given me?” Living for God is not rocket science or some strange mysterious thing. Just as God asked Moses, “What is that in thine hand?” He is asking us, “What is that in thine hand?” What I have in my hand may be different from what God has given someone else. We each have something God can use if we will trust God enough to give it to Him. Who can we invest in for the cause of Christ? When God asks us the question, “What is that in thine hand?” may we respond with surrendered hearts. Let us all be willing to use the simple tools He has already placed in our hands.
by Mandy Harper
