And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his
hand: that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto
thee.
What is that in your hand? God asked this question to Moses during his encounter at the burning bush. And God commanded him, and gave him an assignment to go to Pharaoh in Egypt and demand the deliverance of the children of Israel. God gave him the signet of his presence with him….his shepherds rod.
 That rod would become the instrument of God’s power and authority in Moses’ hand. And all the miracles that followed that encounter took place and the children of Israel were finally given permission by the King to leave. So Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and towards the Red Sea, and I think Pharaoh must have thought twice about what he had done, letting go all of those who he kept as slaves in his service. So in an effort to get them back he went after them with his great army. Exodus 14:9-10 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. Now in the mean time Moses had reached the bank of the Red Sea. On the right side of them was a mountain, on the left side of them was another mountain, both were impassable, behind them was Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, and in front of them was the Red Sea. Seemingly there was no way out. Have you ever come to that place in your life, where you felt your very existence was in jeopardy? The road before you is blocked and you cannot get ahead, and behind you are all the pressures, all the fears, and the weights bearing down upon you. You’ve tried all you know how to do, you’ve turned to the right hand, and to the left hand, and yet there doesn’t seem to be any way out.
This is exactly how the children of Israel felt that day so long ago. Their situation from a natural point of view was desperate and if there was ever a time when a man was seemingly justified in calling on God in prayer, it was then. But I see something in this passage of scripture that most of us do, when the test of life come our way. We put ourselves in the same position that Moses was in. We stop moving forward! We allow our situation to immobilize us in fear, so we begin to cry out to the Lord, instead of walking in faith.
Moses started to pray. It is not recorded how long he prayed, or what he said, but instead of God being pleased, He was grieved with Moses and said……
Exodus 14: 14-15 “Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” God did not say, stretch out your hand, and I will divide the sea. God could have easily divided the waters without Moses’ help. But God said to Moses: “Lift up thy rod, which was the very signet of Gods Power and Authority, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it.” It was not an act for God to perform, but it was an act for Moses to believe for. The responsibility was not with God, it was with Moses. And I think God has placed upon you and me today, the responsibility to believe Gods Word, and to move and act in it! I think of all the miracles that Moses performed in Egypt, yet at this most crucial time, he forgets that God had given him a sign of his presence with him. Circumstances overpowered him and he began to cry out to the Lord in prayer. So many times we find ourselves in the same place, crying out to God in prayer, when He wants us to exercise our rod of faith, and begin to divide the waters in our life.
Just stop for a moment and think of God throwing the responsibility of making a passage through the sea onto Moses. God would not take it. It was for Moses to believe God and act upon. God commands: “Lift thou up thy road, and stretch out thine hand,” not God's hand. He was to lift the rod that God had given to him---the signet of Gods presence and power, and it was to be used by the hand of Moses.
Luke 9: 1-2 then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
Just as God had done with Moses, so Jesus called the twelve to Him, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, and that was their rod. He sent them to preach the Kingdom of
God and heal the sick. What if they would have come to the sick, and started to pray and say, “Jesus, heal this man.” They would have been just exactly in the same position Moses was in when he came to the Red Sea and prayed, “God, divide these waters”. The two cases are exactly parallel. God demands the action of the believer’s faith in God. YOU stretch out YOUR hand and divide the waters.
James 2: 21 says, “Faith without works is dead”, so you see it’s not enough just to have faith. God wants us to have the evidence of our faith by the works that we do.
God has likewise given to every man the measure (rod) of faith, and it is for each one of us to use the rod that God has given him. The Bible says concerning the disciples that,
“They departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.”
Luke 9:6. Over and over again throughout the New Testament, the Word of God says, “They healed them,” the disciples healed them. They received something from God. They were as conscious of it as Moses was conscious he had received a rod from the Lord. It was given to them to use.
Peter used that rod of faith to heal the man at the gate called Beautiful. He did not pray, or intercede. He did not ask God to heal the man, but he commanded him: I’m not saying that we should stop praying. The Bible tells us that we should always pray. But there comes a time when God demands that we put our faith into action, and start doing the works of Christ.
 Acts 3: 2-7 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, and praising God. What did Peter and John possess that they were about to freely give to this man? They didn’t have any silver or gold. But what they had was much more valuable than money. They had with them the very power and authority of God in their life to heal the sick. And it was faith in Peter’s soul that brought about the result. John 14:12 Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
I think what we need to understand is that the power of God has been given to us, by the Holy Spirit to do the works of Christ. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is just as real and important today for you and me, as it was in the days of Jesus and His disciples. A lot of people think that the Holy Spirit first came on the scene on the day of Pentecost. But that’s not true. The Holy Spirit has been at work in the earth since the very beginning of time. In Genesis, it says, “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, “Let there be light”, and the Spirit of God moved upon the earth and there was light.
At the river Jordan when Jesus came to John to be baptized of him, the bible says, “and Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”
Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe, (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
To be filled with the Spirit is Gods will for each one of us who are called by His name. He has placed upon us, a mantle of His Spirit and endowed into our lives the Power of Heaven that we may go forth and witness Christ effectively into the earth today.
So today, we are the instruments that God uses. And with such knowledge as this, we should move forth in strength and a conscious realization that God has bestowed upon us, the same power, and the same anointing that was on Jesus, so that we might exercise our faith, for the will of God to be accomplished. The fact is; God has called each one of you to ministry. He has shaped your life for service. He has been preparing you since the day you were born. He has placed in your life, in your heart, in your experiences, in your hands…..everything you need to do his bidding. His desire for our life is that we become the extension of His Love, and Mercy, the extension of His Kindness, His Joy, and of His Peace. God is still making plans, and giving out assignments. He uses ordinary people and ordinary things, to do the extraordinary.
Moses’ question from God is your question today. What’s in your hand? What passion for service has God sparked in you? What needs do you see that others may not? What abilities, talents or spiritual gifts has he equipped you with? Copyright © Rev. James Lewis 2009 Webmaster All rights reserved. email: Word of Life Ministries Hand In Hand Publication is an Internet Ministry of Faithful Christians joining hands together all around the world, for the sole purpose of promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this mailing list send an email to Rev. James Lewis with the word Subscribe, or Unsubscribe in the Subject Box | 
