Feelings of inadequacy have sidelined so many people in the Kingdom of God. Whether because of past failures, poor self-esteem, or too many put-downs, they’ve concluded they could never make a difference.

Ironically, one of the greatest heroes of the Bible suffered from feelings of inadequacy. His name is Moses.

Hidden by his mother in an attempt to protect her baby from those committed to killing all the male Hebrew children, he was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses was raised as the prince of Egypt, living a life of privilege and power.

But eventually, an inner turmoil ensued as Moses came to understand that the blood of Hebrew slaves ran through his veins. It came to a head one day when he saw one of his countrymen being beaten by an Egyptian overseer. Moses intervened and in the struggle killed the Egyptian.

Fearing for his life, Moses fled to the desert of Midian. There Moses took a wife, had a son, and spent the next 40 years herding sheep in the wilderness.

But God wasn’t done with him.

Moses had a dramatic encounter with God who spoke to him from a burning bush. God gives Moses an assignment: return to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let my people go.

Moses struggles with this mission for multiple reasons. First of all, he’s 80 years old.  Surely his best leadership years are behind him.  How can an old man make a difference?

Secondly, he’s already failed at this deliverance thing once.  He’d messed things up so badly, who would ever dare to trust him to do anything right?

Third, he has some sort of speech impediment.  How do you rally a dispirited group of people if you have no oratory skills?

Finally, Moses has a credibility problem. How would these people believe that God sent him of all people?

God responds to Moses’ skepticism by asking a question: What’s in your hand?

See, the issue isn’t the ability you bring to a situation but the availability you offer to God.

The thing in Moses’ hand was an ordinary shepherd’s staff. God tells him to throw the staff on the ground and the staff becomes a snake! Then God tells him to pick up the snake…by the tail…and it becomes a staff again.

Why would God do that? Because He had an important lesson for Moses…and for us.

Moses was a shepherd and he had a shepherd’s staff.  It was nothing special, nothing more than a stout stick.  But that staff represented everything Moses was. The staff represented his identity, his influence, and his income.

God was saying, “Moses, you don’t think you have all that much in your hand. But if you will give Me what you do have… your identity, your influence, and your income – as small and insignificant as they may appear... I’ll do miraculous things with it.  Things beyond your wildest dreams.”

From then on, that staff was known as the “rod of God,” and God used it to turn the Nile to blood, to part the Red Sea, and to bring water from a rock. History was changed because Moses gave God what was in his hand.

I have wondered, what would have happened if Moses had said no to God. What happens when we say no to God?

When you fail to respond to God’s challenge, over time His voice fades and His reality dims.

God is not concerned with all that you don’t have or can’t offer – He’s looking for what you’re willing to submit and let Him multiply.

What’s in your hand?

Text: Exodus 3-4

Originally recorded on June 19, 2011, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN