Sweet Sisters,
I have been reading Bob Goff’s book, Everybody Always. In chapter 13 Bob makes these comments:
Many of us are limited by what we have but don’t use.
Jesus tells us to bring what we have to Him and He will make something amazing out of it.
Just keep bringing whatever you have to God and let Him decide what He’ll do with it.
These comments struck a chord with me on several levels. I wondered how many times I’ve not done something because I felt like it wouldn’t help or be enough. I wondered how many times I had missed experiencing a miracle because I didn’t trust God enough to just give Him what I had and let Him work with it.
I want to look at some men and women in the Bible today that wondered the same thing and what happened when they submitted to God and gave Him what they thought was inadequate.
In Exodus 4, Moses and God are having a conversation. God wants Moses to return to Egypt and bring the Israelites out of bondage. Moses is very reticent. In verse two, God says to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replies, “A staff”. Moses thought the staff was a very inadequate tool for accomplishing the task God was asking him to do. In verse 17 we read these words;
“But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
In Exodus 7:19, Moses turns the water in the river Nile into blood with his staff.
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”
In Exodus 14:16, Moses parts the Red Sea with his staff.
Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
In Exodus 17:5 – 6, Moses uses his staff to bring water out of a rock.
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
In Exodus 17:8 – 13, the Israelites won a battle with the Amalekites because Moses stood on top of a hill with his staff outstretched.
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Because Moses was willing to give God control of something Moses thought was insignificant, Moses was able to witness great miracles.
Our next story takes place in I Kings 17. God has caused a drought to come over the land. Elijah goes to a widow in Zarephath and asks her to feed him. The widow replies that she only has enough flour and oil to make one little meal for her and her son. Elijah tells her to do what he asks and that God promises if she will give him what little she has, God will bless her.
In I Kings17:15, 16 we read what happened when she put aside her fear and did as Elijah asked.
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
The widow trusted God with what she thought was completely inadequate and God blessed her beyond anything she could have imagined.
The last story I want to share with you is found in John 6:1 – 14. A large crowd had come to see Jesus. In verse 10, John says there were 5,000 men. Some commentators estimate that if you added women and children, it could have been as many as 15,000 people.
Jesus suggested to His disciples that they feed them. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, brings a boy to Jesus who has five small barley loaves and two small fish. He tells Jesus that this is all they have but it is not going to help much. In John 6:10 – 13, we read what Jesus was able to do with what Andrew thought was totally inadequate.
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
Sweet Sisters, what is it that you are holding in your hand that you think is too small for God to be able to use? Maybe it’s a small amount of money. Maybe it is a kind word or a gentle touch. Maybe it is taking someone a batch of cookies. Maybe it is an encouraging phone call or text message. It could be many things. In God’s hands, little things become powerful things.
I used this scripture last week, but it applies to this week’s lesson as well.
Ephesians 3:20, 21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
In Luke 6:38 we read these words:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
When we give, no matter how little it is, God is going to make it more than we ever thought possible!
Today, take whatever is in your hand and ask God to take it and use it. You may or may not see what He does with it, but I promise you, He will do something powerful.
Debbie
APRIL 19, 2022
