Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the LORD told him. –Exodus 4:2–3

What’s in your hand?

It was just another ordinary day. For Moses, it was pretty much the same routine it had been for the past 40 years: Wake up. Take care of sheep. Go to bed. Do it all again the next day. At 80 years old, his life was pretty much over. Whatever dreams he may have once had were now long gone. But all of that changed in one encounter with a burning bush and a question from God Himself.

Imagine how Moses felt when God told him He had seen the agony of His people in Egypt and heard their cries for deliverance, and He was sending Moses to lead them out! For 40 years, he had led nothing but sheep. Is it any wonder that Moses responded with, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

Do you know how God chose to answer Moses’ question? With a seemingly unrelated question of His own: “What’s in your hand?”

Moses' Identity

Moses must have wondered why God would ask him a question to which He obviously knew the answer, but he simply replied, “A shepherd’s staff.” And then God commanded, “Throw it on the ground, Moses.” So Moses threw it on the ground, and it turned into a snake! Naturally, Moses turned and ran; that is, until he was stopped in his tracks by God’s command to pick up the snake by its tail. Moses cautiously reached out his hand and picked up the snake, and it immediately became his staff again.

We don’t know how long Moses had been using that particular staff, but odds are it was quite a while. He had likely grown familiar with the staff’s little nicks and grooves, and the passage of time had probably weathered the wood to the point that it was now smooth and completely at home in his hand. His staff represented so much more than just a walking stick. First, it represented his identity. Just as a stethoscope represents a doctor or a socket wrench represents a mechanic, Moses’ staff was the most recognizable symbol of his occupation as a shepherd. Secondly, it was a symbol of his income. In those days, people didn’t have bank accounts, credit cards, or hedge funds … they had cattle, goats, and sheep. And as caretaker of his father-in-law’s flocks of sheep, Moses’ income—his money and possessions—was inextricably linked to his position. The third thing the staff symbolized was Moses’ influence. As a shepherd, he was well aware of the influence and authority his staff commanded when he needed to move sheep from Point A to Point B.

Lay It Down

So in essence, when God asked Moses, “What’s in your hand?” and told him to “throw it on the ground,” He was saying, “Are you going to lay down your identity? Surrender your income? Let go of your influence? Because if you do, I’ll take something that seems dead to you, and I’ll make it come alive. I’ll make a miracle out of it. It may seem like an insignificant stick to you, but if you surrender it to My hands, I’ll do things you could never imagine.”

The question God asked Moses so many years ago still resonates just as strongly today: What’s in your hand? Your talent, background, education, freedom, health, contacts, opportunities, mind, passions, wealth, ideas, creativity … what’s in your hand?

The first step to going out lies in giving in. Before we can “go,” God wants us to “let go” … to totally, completely, unconditionally, and absolutely surrender to Him each day.

So ask yourself today, “What’s in my hand?”

What does this mean for me?

Surrendering something so God can use it may feel like a paradox, yet it is the key to unlocking its true purpose. When we cling too tightly to our gifts, talents, or resources, we risk believing they exist solely for us rather than to bless others. But God invites us to live with open hearts, trusting that what we entrust to Him will be used to bless and serve others in ways beyond what we could imagine or accomplish on our own. Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit if there is something you’re holding onto too tightly? Then, with faith, ask God to help you release it and allow Him to use you for His purposes.

This article is part of the Let’s Go devotional, which is focused on fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. Follow along with the devotional here.