M
So typically I take the time in Passover to meditate on The Exodus story.. I came across this morning:
Exodus 4:1-5
1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
" and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it."
So I read this then it struck me that the very first thing God did with Moses before he used him so powerfully was address his identity and the power of his hand.
1) God has to get Moses to look at his hand.. the hand that had killed in Egypt, and break the fear of his old identity off him... the lie that crept in, was that Moses hands were not made for deliverance but murder (ruining the plans of God, bringing death not life, releasing dishonor not honor to the Lord).
2) Maybe Moses' deepest fear was not that he was 'afraid of men' (timidity and weakness) but that he was 'afraid of man'. (The power of what he was capable of) That secretly he knew that God had made him incredibly powerful, that he was born for something great, to be a great deliverer of men... Moses was so powerful that he could give and take life with his own hands... I often wonder whether Moses stuttered growing up as the 'Prince of Egypt' ? ..I doubt it. I secretly wonder whether he got a stutter from after killing the Egyptian.
3) This action meant that Moses was 'broken' i.e. of no use.. (like a broken toy) not 'broken' i.e. for the use of one..(like a cowboy breaks a horse in)
3) So God takes Moses aside and shows him something that scares him... " and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it." God takes Moses back to the moment Moses looked at his hand and was afraid (when he took life) and shows him how he's going to use those same hands for good.
“But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
4) Is it still true today that rather using convincing words or knowledge to show the world that Jesus is risen, that we must show the world 'what is in our hand' and that we are no longer afraid be known as powerful?
Our Greatest Fear
(Nelson Mandela 1994 Inaugural Speech)
Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Exodus 4:1-5
1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
" and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it."
So I read this then it struck me that the very first thing God did with Moses before he used him so powerfully was address his identity and the power of his hand.
1) God has to get Moses to look at his hand.. the hand that had killed in Egypt, and break the fear of his old identity off him... the lie that crept in, was that Moses hands were not made for deliverance but murder (ruining the plans of God, bringing death not life, releasing dishonor not honor to the Lord).
2) Maybe Moses' deepest fear was not that he was 'afraid of men' (timidity and weakness) but that he was 'afraid of man'. (The power of what he was capable of) That secretly he knew that God had made him incredibly powerful, that he was born for something great, to be a great deliverer of men... Moses was so powerful that he could give and take life with his own hands... I often wonder whether Moses stuttered growing up as the 'Prince of Egypt' ? ..I doubt it. I secretly wonder whether he got a stutter from after killing the Egyptian.
3) This action meant that Moses was 'broken' i.e. of no use.. (like a broken toy) not 'broken' i.e. for the use of one..(like a cowboy breaks a horse in)
3) So God takes Moses aside and shows him something that scares him... " and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it." God takes Moses back to the moment Moses looked at his hand and was afraid (when he took life) and shows him how he's going to use those same hands for good.
“But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
4) Is it still true today that rather using convincing words or knowledge to show the world that Jesus is risen, that we must show the world 'what is in our hand' and that we are no longer afraid be known as powerful?
Our Greatest Fear
(Nelson Mandela 1994 Inaugural Speech)
Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
