Everything We Need

Read Exodus 4:1-17

Then Moses answered, "But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, 'The Lord did not appear to you,' " The Lord said to him, "what is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Reach out your hand, and seize it by the tail" - so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand - "so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." Exodus 4: 1-5 (NRSV)

"Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs." Exodus 4:17 (NRSV)

Moses felt unequipped for the task God placed in front of him. However, in God's eyes, Moses had what he needed - a rod. With that rod, Moses performed miracles in Egypt and used it to part the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through. That same rod brought Joshua victory in battle. And it made water gush from a rock. What Moses overlooked, God used to shape the course of history.

Today, God is asking the same question of us: "What is in your hand?" It could be a pen, cooking utensil, computer, ball, phone, certificate, diploma, or small plot of land. We should not dismiss what we have, no matter how small or unworthy it may seem. God is ready to use it to fulfill God's purpose in our lives.

God created us that we may serve. We read in scripture,that there is much harvest on God's farm, but harvesters are few; so God is calling on us. Let us embrace the tools God has given us so that we may be ready and willing to serve. God will transform that which we see as "just a rod" into something great for God's glory.

Mary Charles lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Prayer: God of possibilities, thank you for the gifts you have given us. Teach us to see the value in what we have and to use it to serve you, in Jesus' name. Amen.