What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you’” (Exodus 4:1-2 NIV)
Can you identify with Moses here?
I can! How many times have I sensed God leading me to do something that I knew would be questioned by others who didn’t understand?
Excuse. When I spoke to a close friend about sensing God’s direction to pursue writing for publication, he responded, “What do YOU have to say?”
I don’t believe my friend meant to discourage me with his heart-rending question. But his question just echoed the doubt that I had already heard in my heart: What do I have to say? No one will believe me or listen to me!
My friend’s question served as the motivation that I needed to seek God, especially for His guidance as I sought specific direction for training and research. I asked myself questions like: What DO I have to say? What gifts and talents DO I have? What skills do I need to develop? What resources are available to me?
Promise. Moses feared how others might perceive him. So God gave him two miraculous signs to prove His supernatural power. At first, God called attention to the tool in Moses’ hand (Ex. 4:2).
Then, the Lord touch Moses’ hand miraculously.
Afterward, the Lord offered this encouragement to Moses:
If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground. (Ex. 4:8-9).
God knew the people would question Moses. So, He promised to give Moses whatever supernatural help he needed to lead His people to their promised land. And in the process, God transformed the everyday tool in Moses’ hand with His miraculous power.
Reflection. Today, this question echoes in my heart, “What is that in your hand?” (Ex. 4:2).
I’m asking myself: Could God transform the tool in my hand—like the technology available on the internet—to help others discover their promised land of rest?
Photo/TaraRoss
Can you identify with Moses? What tools and abilities do you have available to God?
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I can really identify with you on this, Karen. When I published my first post on my blog, a neighbor who is a good friend threw out a comment in an off-hand way, “So, why the blog?” It had exactly that affect on me, but I screwed up my courage and answered it in a general way in my second post. Now she faithfully follows me on Facebook and often comments. I like the question, “What is that in your hand?” That will be my point to ponder this week.
Thx for the comment, Dorothy! Honestly, I’m kinda guilty of trying to read peoples’ minds, and I often miss their intent quite a bit. But I’m asking God to guard my heart and my mind as I put myself out there for all the world to read my thoughts. Makes us kinda vulnerable, huh? Btw, let me know if your write a post on that questions, ok?