Exodus 4:2-4
And the LORD said unto him, “What is that in thine hand?”
And he said, “A rod.”
And he said, “Cast it on the ground.”
And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
And the LORD said unto Moses, “Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail.”
And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand
Do you serve the God of the Impossible? I love this little slice of reality in Moses’ life. Even though Cecil B. Demille makes it look as though the burning bush incident happened only a short time after he left Egypt, it was forty years later. The actual time line of Moses’ life falls into forties: forty years in Egypt, forty years in Midian, and forty years in the wilderness leading the Israelites.
God has just spoken to Moses of His mission, and Moses is telling God all the reasons why it won’t work! This is the first of two signs that God gives Moses to convince the Israelites that he is God’s man.
Do you like snakes? Would you like to pick one up…by the tail? Anyone who handles snakes knows that you don’t pick up a snake by the tail! Actually, common sense would tell you not to pick up a snake by its tail. It’s sort of like grabbing a cat by the tail, except the results could be deadly! We don’t know what kind of snake it was, but whatever the type, Moses ran from it.
However, there is no break in the action: God tells him to pick up the snake by the tail and Moses does it. Faith: Forsaking All, I Trust Him! Forsaking all commons sense, I do what He commands.
What is the impossible thing in your life? Impossible things can be personal struggles with bad habits or sins; or, they can involve someone else, whose actions are affecting your life. Circumstances involving finances, relationships, attitudes, wrong choices: they all can create impossible situations in our lives, and we come to God begging Him to do SOMETHING!
But first, perhaps He is asking you, “What is in thy hand?” What is it that you are clutching so tightly that God wants to use to do the impossible? You see, if you are in control, then God is not. He wants to do the impossible, but so often, we must hand over the reins before He can do it.
It may be so impossible, that you only laugh, like Sarah: having a child at the age of ninety? IMPOSSIBLE! Can you believe God for the impossible? Can you allow Him to teach you through the impossible? Will you hand EVERYTHING over to Him so that He can do the impossible? Are you willing to wait for Him to do the impossible on His timeline and not yours? You can be guaranteed that any great accomplishment for God started with an impossible idea. Never think that God cannot do it. If it is HIS will, it can be done!
Later, Moses will stand at the Red Sea and say, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” (Exodus 14:13) It’s always a great joy when God just does the impossible. They stood and watched as God parted the Red Sea. OOOh! Ahhh! Wow! Isn’t God awesome! He’s doing the impossible!
Sometimes though, He asks a price to do the impossible, as perhaps you read in “Wet Feet.” Will you do it? WARNING: it will cost you something. Think about Moses, reaching out his hand, keeping an eye on that serpent’s fangs dripping with venom; and yet he trusted God to do the impossible, so that when he stood before the people and he stood before Pharaoh, he was ready once again to trust the God of the Impossible
Beyond Common Sense 