What's In Your Hands? God's Unexpected AnswerSample

Hampered by insecurity 

After receiving God’s command to confront Pharaoh, Moses is afraid. “What if they don’t believe me or listen to me?” he asks. But God, revealing Himself as the great I AM, asks, “What is that in your hand?” and turns Moses’ staff into a snake. 

Even with God’s power on display (God was speaking to him from a burning bush, after all), Moses is filled with doubt. As he watches a miracle unfold, he sees only his own limitations. He’s slow of speech, he says. Many have speculated that Moses had a speech impediment that would make public speaking extremely difficult. 

But even as He grows frustrated at Moses’ debilitating insecurity and lack of faith, God, in His infinite compassion, provides Moses the support he needs—sending Aaron, his more articulate brother, to help him challenge Pharaoh. Together, they lead the Israelites out of slavery and into freedom. 

God is in the habit of choosing the most unlikely candidates to be conduits of His greatest works. As we read in 1 Corinthians 1, He chooses “the lowly things of this world and the despised things … so that no one may boast before him.” It shouldn’t surprise us that He chooses us for tasks that seem beyond our capabilities; we see example after example of this in Scripture. And like Moses and the widow, we desperately need holy imagination to envision our giftings and resources bolstered by a God with power beyond what we can see. 

While counterintuitive, insecurity can actually point to an elevated view of self and a diminished view of God. In the spirit of humility, we denigrate our apparent flaws, not acknowledging that we are disrespecting God’s sovereignty and criticizing His creative choices. We overestimate the responsibility on our own shoulders and underestimate the power of God propelling us forward. As a result, insecurity and self-doubt paralyze us, hampering our willingness to obey. 

But we serve a God who transforms sticks into snakes and water into walkways. We can walk in confidence and obedience, knowing that He will equip us for that which He has called us to.

Reflection: Where does insecurity or self-doubt keep you from walking in obedience to God? How do you think God feels about those thoughts? How can you picture God being glorified through your weaknesses?