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i don’t know about you, but if i’m getting ready to head out into the wilderness, i want one of those shepherd’s staffs like Moses had when he was leading the Israelites. From the very first day at the burning bush, God had demonstrated His power through that staff.(1) He had turned it into a snake. He had turned the water of the Nile River into blood with it. God had Moses outstretch it to part the waters of the Red Sea, and He had him strike a rock with it to bring forth water. Then God used it to ensure a victory in the battle with the Amalekites. Sign me up for one of those staffs!
Wouldn’t you like to have a staff that you could use to turn the tide of every trial you encounter? Every time you encounter an obstacle, you could pull out the staff. It’s better than any laser weapon ever devised by those science fiction writers. Every obstacle and every enemy would cower at its mere presence. It’s not much to look at, but it packs a powerful punch. As a matter of fact, if you’re going to get one, why not get two and you can pack double the punch. But why stop there, order a truckload. And do you know what you’ve got when you’ve got a truckload of staffs? Yes, that’s right, you’ve got a whole lot of . . . wood!
You and i both know there was no power in that staff. It was merely an instrument – a tool – that God chose to use in the hands of His servant. It was an outward expression of the power of God manifested through His servant, through which He intended to bring Himself glory. That’s why the consequence for Moses was so severe when later He misused the very same staff God had given him.(2)
Let’s look at how that staff came to be used. Moses had been tending Jethro’s flocks with it for almost forty years.(3) For all that time it had been an instrument of protection, as Moses used it to chase away any predators of the sheep. It had been an instrument of rescue, as Moses used its crook to rescue stranded lambs from the dangerous places into which they had wandered. It had been an instrument of strength, as Moses leaned on it to steady himself after many hours of labor.
It had been a symbol of his calling, as Moses carried it leaning on his shoulder as an outward reminder to all that saw him that he was a shepherd – a tender of sheep. Yes, that staff had been used for noble service for forty years – just like every other shepherd’s staff had been used. But something happened that day at the burning bush that forever transformed it into the staff that overshadows all others. God called out to Moses and said, “What do you have there in your hand?” And when God instructed him, Moses surrendered it to God. He dropped it right there before God. And when God told him to pick it back up, from then on, it became an instrument of His glory.
On our journeys through the wilderness, God is desiring to demonstrate His presence and His power through our lives each and every step of the way. He desires to part the seas that obstruct our paths, draw out the waters that will satisfy our thirst, and defeat the enemies that oppose us. He has permitted us to encounter each and every one of those obstacles so that He might manifest His power through our lives, and a watching world might see His power working on our behalf for His glory. You may have heard the saying, “In God’s hands, any old staff will do.” Well that’s right. It’s not about the staff. It’s not even about the one who is carrying it. It’s about the One to whom it has been surrendered. God desires to bring honor to His name through His children. He desires to use our talents and possessions – those things in our hands – for that same purpose. It wasn’t coincidental that Moses came to the bush that day with the staff in his hand. God had already provided it many years before for His divine purpose. It was a purpose that became clearer that day at the bush when God called Moses to that wilderness journey. When God called him to the journey, He called all of his person and all of his possessions.
Take whatever it is that God has placed in your hands and renew your commitment to Him – not only of your person, but also of your talents and possessions. Allow Him to take them and use them to manifest His presence and His power though your life in a way that only He can – a way that brings glory to Him before all people. That’s why He gave them to you to begin with. They were a part of His provision for the journey. And in His hands – yes, any old staff will do!
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You can read about Moses’s staff in the Book of Exodus.
This post is taken from chapter 19 of my book, The Journey Begins. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Exodus 4:2; 17:5-6, 11(NLT)
Then the LORD asked him, "What do you have there in your hand?" "A shepherd's staff," Moses replied. …The LORD said to Moses, "Take your shepherd's staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile. …Strike the rock, and water will come pouring out. Then the people will be able to drink." Moses did just as he was told; and … water gushed out. …As long as Moses held up the staff with his hands, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites gained the upper hand.
(2) Numbers 20:2-12
(3) Exodus 3:1
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