Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent,
neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.
I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute?
Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say”
(Ex 4:10-12 ESV).
Moses was not eloquent or quick of speech. True, he was saved as a babe and chosen by God, but he was also a flawed human. He was an 80 year-old shepherd, passing common days in the fields of Midian, when God visited him through a bush set ablaze with glory. But he still questioned God’s call.
Do you catch yourself sometimes asking the same questions of God as Moses did?
Do you, too, feel unable . . . unequipped . . . unqualified?
Be reminded that the grace of God is no less glorious emanating through anyone who is humble, contrite . . . or common.
The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
He said, "A staff"
(Ex 4:2 ESV).
I find that this story is not just about the man but the instrument.
Moses took the staff of God in his hand, as God asked him to, so that others might believe.
That staff was just a stick from the ground. But, when used in obedience, it gained noble purpose.
What can you use today in obedience?
What ordinary object right in front of you can be picked up and put to use . . . that others might believe?
What has God given you to use in blessing others? That they might believe? See His love and grace?
It may be just an ordinary object, but in your hand - in His Name - it becomes an instrument of God to powerfully accomplish His purpose in the lives of others.
Reach out a hand in the Name of the Lord, display His love . . . His grace.
You might pick up a pen or a phone and share a compassionate word of encouragement. You could carry food or clothing to a homeless shelter. Take the Good News of Christ to someone who is lost, in need of hope and salvation. Prepare a meal, carry a load, wield a tool to help with a home or car repair. There is no lack of need, that’s for sure! And there is no object too ordinary that cannot be used by God.
What “staff” can God place in your hands today—that you might be an instrument of His blessing?