What's in Your Hand?
Thursday - April 22nd
Scripture to Read Today: 1 Samuel 17:32-40
Then he took his staff in his hand,
chose five smooth stones from the stream,
put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and,
with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:40
When David faced Goliath, he had two things in his hand. He had his roughly hewn shepherd's staff (or stick) and his sling. On his way to the bottom of the Valley of Elah, where Goliath awaited an Israelite soldier to fight him, David reached down and grabbed five smooth stones. That's right, David attacked the mighty Philistine robo-warrior with the proverbial sticks and stones. Although King Saul offered David his armor, it didn't fit. David determined it would only encumber him in his fight against the giant. He went with what he had in his hand already.
When my younger brother, Troy, and I were kids, our Dad made us each a sling - like David's sling. He explained that David did not have a "Y" shaped slingshot. The young shepherd had two long strips of leather with a pocket of leather tied between them to form one long line or rope. Dad then taught us to use the sling by circling it quickly over our heads and releasing one string as we thrust it forward. The rock left the little patch and flew toward the given target. The more we practiced, the better our accuracy.
As David approached the mighty fighting machine known as Goliath, Goliath would simply see a stick in one of David's hands and two strings hanging from the other. By the time Goliath knew David had the five smooth stones, it was too late.
Nearly 500 years before David faced Goliath, God called Moses from the burning bush and inquired what was in Moses' hand. "Then the Lord asked him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A shepherd's staff,' Moses replied" (Exodus 4:2). God then said that He would use Moses to lead His people, Israel, from bondage in Egypt to the promised land. The stick which Moses had in his hand that day would be what God would use to initiate the release of the Israelites from Pharoah's Egypt.
During Moses' first meeting with Pharoah to call for the release of God's people, God would display His power. God had Moses throw the stick down, and it became a snake. Moses picked up the snake, and it became the stick again. Pharoah took notice of Moses and his God. The stick Moses held in his hand when God called him, like the stick and the sling in David's hands, was all that God needed so that Moses could be used by Him.
Often we watch others serve God because we do not believe we have anything to offer in service to Him. Both David and Moses offered what they had and who they were for God's use and glory. Sticks, stones, and strings don't seem like much. But in God's hands, they can accomplish so much. What's in your hand? God can use you and what's in your hand. Pray and let God know of your availability and the availability of what you have. Ask Him to use you today for Christ and His Kingdom!
God uses who we are and what we have for the good of others and His glory when we make them available to Him!