May 11th, 2022
I have a question for you this week, and I want you to think about it, honestly: How many of you have ever felt that you weren’t enough—not smart enough, not good enough, or not strong enough? I would say that most of us have been in that place before. As we walk with God, there will inevitably be times that He asks us to do things that we do not feel qualified for, but as I’ve heard from people much wiser than I am: God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. With that being said, I have some thoughts about this that I’d like to share with you, from Scripture!
As believers, we know that God is all-powerful, but that truth is something we probably don’t dwell on as much as we should. As limited human beings, we cannot create anything. There is a scientific law, in fact, that says that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. It only changes from one form to another (In case you were wondering, this is called the Law of Conservation of Mass). This is a law we live with, in the natural world, whether we realize it or not! However, God is not a limited human being, and He does create things out of nothing. Genesis 1:2-4 says,
“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.”
From this Scripture, we see that after God created the earth, it was void, empty, and without form. There was absolutely nothing, except for the Spirit of God. From that emptiness, God spoke everything that we know into existence: light, vegetation, the stars in the heavens, and living creatures. Then, with only the dust of the earth as His medium, God formed the first man and breathed life into him. From nothing, He brought everything! We see this reiterated in Romans 4:17 which says,
“As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom [Abraham] believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
From this, we see again that God “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” This verse is referencing Genesis 17, when God told Abram that he would be the “Father of Many Nations.” At that time, he was old, childless, and married to a barren woman, but he chose to believe God, and he saw the fulfillment of the promise!
We can never forget that God is the God of the impossible! He created everything we know in seven days. He brought nations from an elderly, barren couple. He brought a Savior from the womb of a virgin young woman. There is nothing He cannot do! If you’re a believer, I’m not saying anything you don’t already know, but it’s easy to get caught up in the “reality” around us and forget that God can do anything. In our own lives, He doesn’t need us to provide a lot of raw material to do what He wants to do. All He needs is our faith, willingness, and obedience.
John 6:1-14 tells the familiar story of Jesus multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over five thousand people. Could Jesus have spoken fish into existence or commanded sand to turn into bread? Sure, he could have, but He didn’t. Instead, He took a young boy’s lunch, which would have looked laughably inadequate from a natural standpoint, and multiplied it to fulfill His purpose. God is in the business of bringing miracles out of what seems to be not enough!
Exodus 3-4 tells us the story of Moses at the burning bush. In these chapters, God repeatedly tells Moses that His plan is to use Him to deliver the Israelite people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Over and over again, Moses argues with God about his own inadequacy, for various reasons. In Ex. 4:1-2 it says,
“Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So, he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Here, we see Moses complaining to God that the people would say He didn’t actually send him. God’s response was incredible. He said, “What’s in your hand?” Think of the confusion Moses probably felt when God asked him that. I imagine him thinking something like,
‘I have a walking stick, God. I just presented you with the genuine concern that the people won’t believe me. After all, who am I? Why would you send me? And that’s your response? “What’s in your hand?” It’s a staff, God. A stick. Just a stick.’
That staff was the same thing that was always in his hand. It was nothing special, but do you know what God replied? “That’s perfect. Let’s use it.” Moses would go on to use that staff to prove God’s power to the Egyptians; to bring water out of the rock; and to part the Red Sea. The reality though, is that there was nothing special about that staff! It wasn’t a magical stick. It was simply the only thing in Moses’ hand when God asked, and God can use absolutely anything!
So, let me ask you another question: What’s in your hand? Often, we are like Moses, telling God all the reasons He can’t use us. We may think we have really genuine concerns! It seemed like a legitimate problem that there was a crowd of starving people and only one child’s lunch, but Jesus wasn’t worried. See, our problems aren’t problems to God. All the concerns Moses brought to God that he was worried God hadn’t thought of weren’t real problems! God already knew what He would do, just like Jesus knew what He would do with the loaves and fishes. God will fix our problems with solutions we could not even imagine! What He wants to know is: what’s in your hand? I don’t care if it doesn’t seem like enough. God can use it. So often, we stop short of the will of God because we’re waiting to have something for God to use. We wait to feel qualified, strong, smart, or able. The reality is that God uses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. God sent His son to the world as an infant, to a family of no worldly significance. God doesn’t care about what the world says is adequate or good enough. God responds to faith, and He can use absolutely anyone who chooses to listen and obey Him. What’s in your hand? David had a sling. That young boy had his lunch. Moses had a walking stick. Abraham had nothing but faith in God’s word and obedience. Even if what you have doesn’t seem like enough, God will use it, if you’ll just believe Him. Whatever it is that you have, be encouraged today: God has done a lot more, with a lot less. He’s in the business of working miracles! He is just waiting for us to believe Him; give Him what we have in our hands; and watch Him do what He does best.
As believers, we know that God is all-powerful, but that truth is something we probably don’t dwell on as much as we should. As limited human beings, we cannot create anything. There is a scientific law, in fact, that says that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. It only changes from one form to another (In case you were wondering, this is called the Law of Conservation of Mass). This is a law we live with, in the natural world, whether we realize it or not! However, God is not a limited human being, and He does create things out of nothing. Genesis 1:2-4 says,
“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.”
From this Scripture, we see that after God created the earth, it was void, empty, and without form. There was absolutely nothing, except for the Spirit of God. From that emptiness, God spoke everything that we know into existence: light, vegetation, the stars in the heavens, and living creatures. Then, with only the dust of the earth as His medium, God formed the first man and breathed life into him. From nothing, He brought everything! We see this reiterated in Romans 4:17 which says,
“As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom [Abraham] believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
From this, we see again that God “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” This verse is referencing Genesis 17, when God told Abram that he would be the “Father of Many Nations.” At that time, he was old, childless, and married to a barren woman, but he chose to believe God, and he saw the fulfillment of the promise!
We can never forget that God is the God of the impossible! He created everything we know in seven days. He brought nations from an elderly, barren couple. He brought a Savior from the womb of a virgin young woman. There is nothing He cannot do! If you’re a believer, I’m not saying anything you don’t already know, but it’s easy to get caught up in the “reality” around us and forget that God can do anything. In our own lives, He doesn’t need us to provide a lot of raw material to do what He wants to do. All He needs is our faith, willingness, and obedience.
John 6:1-14 tells the familiar story of Jesus multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over five thousand people. Could Jesus have spoken fish into existence or commanded sand to turn into bread? Sure, he could have, but He didn’t. Instead, He took a young boy’s lunch, which would have looked laughably inadequate from a natural standpoint, and multiplied it to fulfill His purpose. God is in the business of bringing miracles out of what seems to be not enough!
Exodus 3-4 tells us the story of Moses at the burning bush. In these chapters, God repeatedly tells Moses that His plan is to use Him to deliver the Israelite people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Over and over again, Moses argues with God about his own inadequacy, for various reasons. In Ex. 4:1-2 it says,
“Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So, he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Here, we see Moses complaining to God that the people would say He didn’t actually send him. God’s response was incredible. He said, “What’s in your hand?” Think of the confusion Moses probably felt when God asked him that. I imagine him thinking something like,
‘I have a walking stick, God. I just presented you with the genuine concern that the people won’t believe me. After all, who am I? Why would you send me? And that’s your response? “What’s in your hand?” It’s a staff, God. A stick. Just a stick.’
That staff was the same thing that was always in his hand. It was nothing special, but do you know what God replied? “That’s perfect. Let’s use it.” Moses would go on to use that staff to prove God’s power to the Egyptians; to bring water out of the rock; and to part the Red Sea. The reality though, is that there was nothing special about that staff! It wasn’t a magical stick. It was simply the only thing in Moses’ hand when God asked, and God can use absolutely anything!
So, let me ask you another question: What’s in your hand? Often, we are like Moses, telling God all the reasons He can’t use us. We may think we have really genuine concerns! It seemed like a legitimate problem that there was a crowd of starving people and only one child’s lunch, but Jesus wasn’t worried. See, our problems aren’t problems to God. All the concerns Moses brought to God that he was worried God hadn’t thought of weren’t real problems! God already knew what He would do, just like Jesus knew what He would do with the loaves and fishes. God will fix our problems with solutions we could not even imagine! What He wants to know is: what’s in your hand? I don’t care if it doesn’t seem like enough. God can use it. So often, we stop short of the will of God because we’re waiting to have something for God to use. We wait to feel qualified, strong, smart, or able. The reality is that God uses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. God sent His son to the world as an infant, to a family of no worldly significance. God doesn’t care about what the world says is adequate or good enough. God responds to faith, and He can use absolutely anyone who chooses to listen and obey Him. What’s in your hand? David had a sling. That young boy had his lunch. Moses had a walking stick. Abraham had nothing but faith in God’s word and obedience. Even if what you have doesn’t seem like enough, God will use it, if you’ll just believe Him. Whatever it is that you have, be encouraged today: God has done a lot more, with a lot less. He’s in the business of working miracles! He is just waiting for us to believe Him; give Him what we have in our hands; and watch Him do what He does best.
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