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What is That in Your Hand?

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(Exodus 4:2-3)

Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.

The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

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God raised Moses to save the Israelites from Egypt.

When God first called Moses, this Moses was not brave and he had no confidence.

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One day, Moses was shepherding. Moses saw a flame of fire from afar. Moses was curious so he went to the flame of fire. In that place, there was a bush in the flame of fire but amazingly it was not getting burnt. Only fire was on the bush.

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A voice was heard from the flame of fire.
"Moses. Moses." Moses got surprised by the voice and said.

"I am here." God appeared within the flame of fire.

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"Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground." Moses followed the voice and took off his sandals then he covered his face because he was afraid. God told Moses that he would do a great work of saving the Israelites from Egypt.

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But Moses thought that he was not good enough to do such a work.

"I cannot do that. The people won't acknowledge me.
What if they don't believe that I met God?"
Moses said like this and told God that he could not do it.

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God asked Moses. "What is that in your hand?"

"My staff." Then God said, "Throw it on the ground."

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Moses followed God's words and threw his staff on the ground.

When Moses followed God's words and threw the staff on the ground, the staff turned into a snake. It was a miracle. Moses was so surprised and ran away from the snake.

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God said to Moses again. "Reach out your hand and take the tail of the snake!"

Moses reached out his hand and held the tail of the snake.
Then, the snake turned back into his staff.

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God did amazing miracles through the staff of Moses.
Moses' staff became full of miracles that defeated the evil king of Egypt.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt did not listen to the words of God.
When Moses hit the Nile River in front of Pharaoh, all of the water turned into blood.

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Moses followed God's words and stretched the staff towards the Nile River.

Then, frogs from all of the rivers came up to the ground and became a disaster to Pharaoh and the people.

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When Moses followed God's words and hit the dust on the ground by the staff, the dust became gnats. Moses followed God's words and raised the staff towards the sky. Then, thunder and hail and lightening fell from the sky.

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Moses followed God's words and raised the staff towards the land of Egypt.

This time, God gathered locusts from all of the lands and brought it to Egypt and God made the locusts eat all of the grain in Egypt.

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In the end, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave in to God. Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. Moses followed God's orders and freed the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. Then, Moses led them out and headed towards Canaan.

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Moses' staff was used to do God's great work. It became a tool for many miracles. It was just a staff in the hand of Moses but when God was with that Moses, this staff became a tool for doing great work.

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Something might look very small and useless in our eyes but God pays attention to those little things. If you follow God's words like Moses and if you offer that to God, God will use that little thing for doing miracles. Friends in today's worship, treat what you have preciously and have faith of solely offering it to God.