Exodus 4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
I read today’s exchange from the perspective of a parent and think, God wins the “patient parent” award for this one, but the irony of my thinking that is the fact that *I* was the “why” kid. “But why? But what if? But how?” Interestingly, I’ve always assumed it was Moses’s fear that led him here, to these questions, but what if it’s his curiosity? The same curiosity that led him to investigate the burning bush? How does that change things?
Exodus 4:2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
God planted that curiosity in Moses. Without it, Moses would have simply seen the burning bush in the distance and gone on about his business. Could Moses asking these questions, which seems like Moses being afraid and trying to weasel out of God’s plan, be serving some other purpose? If so, what? To what end? How does that change things?
Exodus 4:3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
Lord, I have always struggled with my curiosity, its source, its purpose, its use. I truly believe that You made me a curious soul. I truly believe that You can use my curiosity for my good and Your glory. Help my curiosity to be eternally good and useful for You and not an obstacle for what You are calling me to do for You. Help my curiosity to change things for you. Amen.
Exodus 4:4 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.
Have a blessed day.