Changed From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary
The Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to go back to his own people and deliver them from the Egyptians, but Moses was full of doubts. In Exodus 4, Moses asks the Lord, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, The Lord did not appear to you?" He was questioning God even though the Lord had just told him that the elders of Israel would listen to him. (Ex. 3:18)
So the Lord asked Moses what he had in his hand. It of course was obvious to the Lord what Moses hand. Why would he ask Moses such a simple, obvious question? I think it is because he wanted Moses to be very aware of what he had and that it wasn't anything special or out of the ordinary. It was just a simple, crude, wooden staff. The Lord told him to throw it on the ground and it became a snake; when he picked it up it was a staff again.
The Lord told him he would do wonders with that simple staff.
The Lord gave him another sign by having him put his hand inside his cloak and when he took it out it was leprous. he put it back in and the leprosy was gone. I would think that Moses would be fairly convinced that God knew what he was doing by sending him back to Egypt but Moses continued to question God and argue with him about being able to speak until the Lord became angry with him.
Finally Moses was convinced he was supposed to go back to Egypt and he took his family and started on his way and "he took the staff of God in his hand." (Ex. 4:20b) It was no longer just a crude, wooden staff. It was the staff of God. What happened? God took something ordinary and made it extraordinary.
The Lord hasn't changed his way of doing things. He is still taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. Jesus took six pots of water and changed them into wine. He took two loaves of bread and five fish and fed 5000. He took the life of an ordinary fisherman (Peter) who bumbled and put his foot in his mouth every time he turned around and made him into one of the leaders of his church. He took the sewing ability of Dorcas and ministered to widows.
What ordinary thing or ability do you have? Give it to the Lord and he will make it into something extraordinary. Whatever we give the Lord does not remain ordinary, it becomes something God works through. I think the Lord is asking us what we have in our hand. It is obvious to him, but he wants us to recognize that what may seem simple, crude and just something every day to us is something he can touch and transform into the extraordinary. He can show us creative ways to use the talents and abilities he has given us in his service.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Exodus 5, Luke 8, Job 22, 1 Corinthians 9
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
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