What is in your hand?
Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 118, 145; Exodus 3:16-4:12; Romans 12:1-21; John 8:46-59
Today’s Writer: Catherine E. Baker
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
What a bold and mind-boggling statement Jesus makes in John 8:58. The Jews who were questioning him had no idea what he could mean by this. “You are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham?” “Are you greater than our father Abraham?” “Who do you make yourself out to be?” Their questions reveal that they did not know Jesus, the Savior of the world, though he stood right before them. They became angered and picked up stones to throw at him.
“What is in your hand?”
In Exodus 3:4, it is God himself who asks the questions. He commands Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, but Moses has several reservations about this. “They will not believe me.” “I am not eloquent.” In response to Moses’ excuses, God does not chastise him, but gives him signs for belief. He performs small miracles through Moses’ hands and promises to teach Moses what to say. Moses complied with each little command God gave him, and through this obedience, was able to accomplish God’s purposes.
Walking with God brings up a lot of questions. When we pray, we ask Jesus to reveal himself to us. We want to know who he is; we want to know how he forms our identity.
When we offer our lives to God, he asks us to take action. He invites us to follow his words and take part in what he is doing in the world. When we lack faith, he asks us to trust him, to allow him to display his power through us.
As we encounter questions during this season of Lent, I pray that we would be brought closer to intimate knowledge of God and devotion to following his words. As Paul says in Romans 12:12, may we “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Yes, may we be constant in prayer. May we constantly learn more of our God. May we constantly learn more of his work in us. May we look at our hands to see what small steps of obedience he is calling us to today.
Image by lifesauntering. (Used by permission via Creative Commons.)
