Remember that story about Moses and the burning bush? It’s in Exodus and it leads right up to when God commands Moses to lead His people out of slavery. I was reading that passage the other day and this one little piece of story that I’ve overlooked countless times, jumped all over me. God commands Moses to take off his sandals because Moses is standing on Holy ground right there before that bush. That’s pretty cool in and of itself, but something else caught my eye. God lays His plans out before Moses and Moses asks God what to do if the people do not believe or listen to him. See how cool this passage plays out:
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘what is that in your hand?’
‘A staff.’ He replied.
The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,
and he ran from it.
Then the Lord said to him,
‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’
So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake
and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
‘This,’ said the Lord,
‘is so that they may believe
that the Lord, the God of their fathers-
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-
has appeared to you.'”
Maybe I read too much into things and make more out of simple things in Scripture, but this has really caught my attention. Isn’t it strange that God asks Moses what is in his hand? It’s a simple staff. Something that Moses has probably carried around forever. It’s Moses’. It’s nothing fancy. It’s nothing special. It’s just a simple staff. Right?
I love that God looks at Moses and sees a vessel to be used. He not only sees Moses through eyes of what is to come next, but He sees Moses with eyes of the present and the past. He sees that staff in Moses’ hand, this simple staff that Moses has brought with him, and He uses it.
Moses is told to throw that it on the ground and it becomes a snake…and HE RUNS AWAY FROM IT! Isn’t that funny? He runs away from his staff turned snake! Then God tells him to not only come back to that staff/snake, but to touch it, and not just a quick little touch and pull back, but rather to grab a hold of the snake.
Woah! When I put myself in Moses’ place that’s pretty profound! I’m thinking that I would be pretty blown away by what was happening right before my eyes. I’m still processing all the ins and outs of this passage, but this is what I’ve really gotten so far from it.
I feel like many times that I’m not equipped enough to really help the people of South Africa. I think that if only I had a better degree, or spoke their language, or had more money, or knew more of the Bible, or knew the right words to say to God on behalf of these people, or if I was only more creative enough….and the list goes on and on.
Moses only had a staff….something very common to him…something that was just apart of who he was. Many other people probably carried a staff just like his. So it really wasn’t anything special that would grab the attention of God and maybe make God think “hey that’s a pretty sweet staff you’ve got there Moses…I think I can come up with something quite spectacular to do with that staff.” No. God just looked at all of Moses and saw a man full of fear, with a simple staff in his hand and said “Yes, this is the man for my purposes. He will be the one to lead my children.” It was that fearful man who would seek the face of God so much so that his faced literally glowed. And it was that simple staff that would be driven into the muddy ground that would cause such a blast that the waters separated! I think that would cause people to listen and believe!
I really want people to believe. And I want them to listen. But I feel like who am I that they would believe or would listen to me. I’m only Amber, and here I am wanting people to believe in my God when I’m still trying to believe and listen myself. My “staff”, as you could say, is too ordinary. It’s too simple…my staff is just me and all the things of my past that have made me who I am.
Then Moses throws his staff to the ground and it becomes a snake. It must have been pretty big or scary or something because Moses runs away from the snake by that bush that’s burning. Then he has to do the unthinkable (at least that’s how I feel about it!), he has to pick that thing up. He has to pick up the very thing he has held in his hands for years. It’s the same staff, but he is scared. The staff is no longer his or under his control. It’s all God’s and it’s going to be used to make people listen and believe.
This is how I feel about being used in Africa. I’ve felt the Holy Spirit working in me and using me. It’s really exciting and I’m glad but I am also so scared. I guess it’s a fear of being swept away. For about two months now I have felt a common question of the Lord. He is asking me if I am ready yet. I feel like He is calling me to experience Him in a different way, in a deeper way. It’s hard for me to reach out and grab a hold of the snake. I guess it’s because I have to let go of everything that I’m use to and surrender it to the Lord. The greatest thing about that is that He blesses those simple things that make us all up and He chooses to use us for His big plans. There is nothing fancy about me that would cause people to listen and believe, it’s only Him transforming my simple things for His glory.
Please pray for focus for me and for salvation for the lost people in each of my ministries. I will blog again soon with more details about my ministries here soon. I’m missing home…I can’t wait for Christmas!
Due to popular demand (not really…well sorta…) I AM MAKING MORE TSHIRTS!
I’m missing YOU right now! 🙂
HE Provides,
Amber
