It is not just a shepherd's staff

When Moses met God at the burning bush one of God’s proofs that He was with Moses was to have him throw his staff on the ground. “What’s that in your hand, Moses?”

“Uh, well, just my shepherd’s staff.”

“Throw it on the ground.”

“Ekk it’s a snake!” Ok maybe Moses didn’t say ekk but really, if it had been you wouldn’t you have said something like that?

“Now pick it up.”

“Hmmm”

“By the tail, of course.” God is so practical.

Moses had been carrying that staff for 40 years as a shepherd. It was his symbol of his personal power, protection, and provision for his flock. But from the moment he picked up that snake by the tail only to be holding his staff it became a symbol of God’s miracles in front of the Egyptians and the Israelites.

So the Question for you and I is this, “What’s that in your hand.” What skills, provisions, time, abilities and resources do we personally possess? What do we lean on as our source of power, protection, and provision?

Under God’s direction, are we willing to throw these things down? Release our control and ownership of them so God can change them before our eyes into whatever He wants to remind us that when we pick them up – though they look the same they are now signs of His power, provision, and protection of us?

When we open our hands to God we will have the privilege to be part of his miracles today. My thanks to Pastor Brian Kluth who wrote in his book, Open Handed Giving in a Tight Fisted World, “What may be our prized possessions, proven skills, personal positions of influence, prideful accomplishments, available time, or stored-up resources can become part of a living miracle when we yield whatever is in our hands to be used by the Lord.”