LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Wednesday 7th May 2025
REACH OUT YOUR HAND
Scripture Reading: Exodus 4
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Exodus 4:4–5
The Lord asked Moses to drop the rod he was holding in his hand. When Moses obeyed God’s instruction, the Lord miraculously transformed the rod into a snake.
After the rod had turned into a snake, the Lord gave Moses another command to take up the live snake by the tail. Grabbing a snake by its tail was usually a dangerous thing to do. The usual approach would have been to hold the reptile by its neck.
God’s instruction to Moses took courage and faith. Snakes symbolized power and life to the Egyptians. By turning the rod of Moses into a snake and back into a rod, God declared to Moses that He had authority over life and death. The Lord wanted Moses to demonstrate to the Israelites that He, who had all power, had sent him.
By this sign, the Lord transformed a common rod in Moses’ hand into an uncommon tool that God would use to deliver His people. The Lord used this miracle of transformation to show Moses and Israel that He could use the ordinary to do the extraordinary. The God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush is the same God we worship. He is our God – the one we pray to in the name of Jesus.
After this first demonstration with the rod, God often used it to supernaturally turn impossible situations around for Israel. By that simple rod, God worked mighty miracles, delivered Israel and gave them military victories.
Are you looking for a sign from the Lord regarding the mission He has given you? The sign that the Lord gave to Moses is also for you. The Lord of all power is with you. Today, the rod we have in our hands is the name of Jesus. We don’t hold that name physically in our hands but within our hearts. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit gives us power over all the power of the enemy. Let’s pick up our authority and use it.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit, I rule over every force of darkness and evil. In Jesus’ name, Amen
