DEVO: Grabbing Snakes

Exodus 4:1-5 (NIV)
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the LORD, “is so 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.”

Living out God's will in our life can be scary sometimes. Sometimes God asks us to do things that we are afraid to do. As we grow in trust, respect, and love for God we are able to perform increasingly bolder tasks for Him.

In this scripture God is trying to convince Moses to go to Egypt to free the Israelites. Moses doesn't want to go. God begins to perform miracles for Moses so he would believe and trust in Him. One of the miracles God performs is that he turns Moses' staff into a snake when Moses throws it on the ground. This is one area of scripture I totally understand. When the snake appears, Moses runs away from it. I would have too. But God tells Moses to grab the snake by the tail so it will turn back into a staff. Honestly, I would be more afraid of touching the snake than I would be of going to Egypt. God would have to do some pretty good convincing in order for me to touch that snake. But Moses trustingly touches the snake and it turns back in to a staff. Then God leads him to do bigger and more important things.

There are things in this world that can be scary for us to do. But if God calls us to do them, it's important that we obey. Many people are too afraid of rejection to talk to others about Jesus. They can also be too afraid of looking stupid by standing up for Him or by doing the "right" thing when everyone else is trying to get us to do the "wrong" thing. But it's only by being courageous in these moments that we grow in power and in our relationship with God. They are more necessary than they are tough.

As scared as I am of snakes, I would probably grab its tail if God told me to even though I would have wanted Him to turn it back before I touched it. As you find yourself in difficult or scary situations, listen to the guidance of God and follow what He tells you to do. If you do, you will find yourself doing increasingly scarier and more important things. It's all a part of the growth process and every step is needed. Today, if God is asking to you grab a snake by the tail, I want to encourage you to do it. There is a reason for it and God will bless you as you follow Him in faith, even if you never sleep with the staff by your bed ever again.