What Is in Your Hand?
Discovering How God Uses Our Ordinary Tools for His Extraordinary Purpose
Sermon Summary
The central issue addressed in this sermon is the human tendency to excuse ourselves from divine calling due to feelings of inadequacy and fear. Through Exodus 4, God teaches us that He does not require extraordinary human ability, but rather total surrender of what we already possess. Believers are called to lay down their fears, trust in God's sovereign provision, and step forward in active obedience to accomplish His redemptive work.
Introduction
Many believers struggle with feelings of inadequacy when faced with opportunities to serve God. We look at our limited resources, lack of eloquence, or past failures and conclude that God should choose someone else. Moses experienced this exact struggle at Mount Horeb when God commissioned him to lead Israel out of bondage. Rather than giving Moses new natural talents, God redirected his focus to what was already in his possession. This sermon examines how God takes our ordinary lives, tools, and circumstances, and transforms them through His divine authority when we surrender them in faith.
Main Scripture
Exodus 4:2
The LORD said to him, “ What is that in your hand? ” He said, “ A rod.”
Exodus 4:2 serves as a pivotal turning point in Moses' encounter with God. Moses was focused on his fears that the Israelites would not believe him or listen to his voice. God responded not with a lengthy theological argument, but with a direct question regarding an everyday object in Moses' grip. The shepherd's rod represented Moses' identity, past forty years of hidden labor, and humble livelihood. By asking Moses to identify this object, God prepared to demonstrate that sovereign divine authority can turn the most ordinary wooden stick into an instrument of supernatural redemption.
Main Sermon Points
1. Surrender What You Hold to God
The LORD said to him, “ What is that in your hand? ” He said, “ A rod.” He said, “ Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it. The LORD said to Moses, “ Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.” He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.
When Moses threw his staff down at God's command, it became a serpent, demonstrating God's sovereign authority over Egyptian symbols of power. When Moses picked it up again in faith, it was restored as a divine instrument.
The rod was a common shepherd's tool, representing Moses' daily work and personal security. God required Moses to release control of it before He could demonstrate His supernatural power through it.
Identify the ordinary skills, professional tools, or modest resources you currently hold. Offer them directly to God in daily prayer, trusting Him to use your daily career, home, or community efforts for His kingdom.
Quick Insights
- God begins His work with what you already possess.
- Surrender converts human tools into divine instruments.
- Faith requires releasing our personal security into God's hands.
2. Trust God to Overcome Your Weakness
Moses said to the LORD, “ O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” The LORD said to him, “ Who made man ’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”
Moses pleaded his lack of eloquence, but God reminded him that the Creator of human speech provides all necessary wisdom and power to those He calls.
God did not refute Moses' physical limitations; instead, He declared His own creator sovereignty. Human inadequacy is never an obstacle to divine fulfillment because God supplies His presence and truth.
Stop allowing fear of failure or vocal inadequacy to prevent you from sharing the Gospel or serving in your local church. Rely on the Holy Spirit to give you speech and wisdom when serving others.
Quick Insights
- Our natural inadequacy highlights God's supernatural power.
- God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.
- Divine presence guarantees sufficient grace for every assignment.
3. Walk Forward in Faithful Obedience
Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God ’s rod in his hand.
Moses took his family and returned to Egypt carrying what was no longer merely a shepherd's rod, but the rod of God, marking his complete transition into faithful action.
True faith moves from conversation into physical steps of obedience. Carrying the 'rod of God' signified that Moses was now walking under divine authority rather than human hesitation.
Take immediate practical steps toward the ministry, moral decision, or reconciliation God has placed on your heart. Move forward in obedience even before all circumstances feel perfectly secure.
Quick Insights
- Obedience turns divine promises into visible reality.
- Walking with God requires stepping forward despite residual fear.
- What is surrendered to God returns with heavenly authority.
Bottom Line
God does not demand extraordinary human ability to accomplish His purpose; He asks for complete surrender of what is already in our hands so that His sovereign power can be displayed in our weakness.
Memorable Quote
God does not ask for what you lack; He transforms what you surrender.
Theological Point
This passage reveals the doctrine of divine concurrence and creator sovereignty, demonstrating that God exercises absolute authority over creation and human faculties, using weak human instruments to accomplish His holy redemptive purposes.
Prayer Guide
- Pray for open eyes to recognize the ordinary resources God has given us.
- Ask God to forgive our excuses, fears, and reluctance to serve Him.
- Thank God for His sovereign promise to accompany and equip us in every calling.
- Seek God's help to step forward in practical obedience without hesitation.
Responding to God’s Word
In responding to God's Word in 'What Is in Your Hand?', we are called to move beyond human excuses and embrace the divine call on our lives. Moses looked at his staff and saw a simple wooden rod, but God saw a weapon of deliverance. In the same way, when we look at our lives, we may see weakness, lack of speech, or modest abilities, but in the hands of Jesus Christ, our lives become powerful testimonies of His grace. Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross and picked up victory through His resurrection, demonstrating ultimate obedience to the Father. Today, Christ calls us to surrender our fears, take up our cross, and follow Him. Let us surrender what is in our hands to the Lord, trusting Him to work mightily through us for His kingdom and glory.
