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BUSH3    6'1m0f Monologue: God asked Moses "What's in your hand"

MOSES -- (enters wearing tunic, headdress and sandals, carrying
a staff) Hello. My name is Moses. You may have heard of me. I
wrote the first five books of your Bible.

You know it still seems rather odd to me that God would choose a
sheep herder to write such an important document. But God often
uses things in a different way than you would expect.

For example, God used an ordinary desert bush to get my
attention, by setting it on fire and then having it talk to me
with a human voice.

I'm no genius. But I know that bushes don't usually burst into
flames or speak in a human voice. If God wanted my attention, he
certainly had it.

Once God got my attention, He commanded me to go back to Egypt
and organize my people to follow me to the promised land.

But, in spite of all this evidence that I was talking to God
himself, I... Well, I hesitated. Who was I, a mere sheep herder,
to presume to lead three million Jews out of Egypt?!

That's when God asked me (imitates) "What is that in your hand?"

(long pause while repeatedly studying staff and audience
reaction)

Is this a trick question? This is my staff! I use it when I'm
herding sheep. I use it to drive off the predators, to regain
control of wandering sheep and to coax hesitating sheep into
moving on....

(looks up) What was the question again, Lord? Oh, yes, what is
in my hand?

(offers staff) A staff. (smiles nervously)

God transformed this staff (lays staff on floor) into a snake
(pulls away hand to avoid being bitten) and then He transformed
the snake back into a piece of wood again. (lifts staff very
cautiously with two fingers)

Imagine that. This ordinary piece of wood was transformed into a
snake! Then, he said he would do it again for my people in Egypt 
and again for the king of Egypt.

Well, who was I to refuse?! So, I left for Egypt. But on the
way, I asked myself repeatedly, "Why did God use my staff
instead of a dead branch from the desert floor? What was the
significance of the question, 'What is in your hand?'"

Well, I never did get an answer directly from God. And it was
months before I found out on my own. In the meantime, God used
this staff to transform the waters of the Nile River into blood.

God used this staff to create the plague of frogs to overrun the
entire land of Egypt.

He also used this staff to create the plague of Gnats, the
plague of hale stones and the plague of locusts.

After our people left Egypt we became trapped by the Egyptian
army with our backs to the Red Sea. God used this staff to part
the waters of the sea to allow us to pass safely across, but
drown the Egyptian army.

Later, God used this staff to defeat the Amalekite army.

Finally, he used this same staff to strike the rock and make it
spew forth fresh drinking water in the middle of a parched
desert.

Quite frankly, for a while there, I was beginning to think this 
staff had magical powers of it's own. Some of the Jews even
suggested that we might worship this staff or at least give it a
place of honor. But then I remembered the forty years I used
this staff as a tool of my trade. I used to use this to drive
off jackals and to regain control of unruly sheep. This is just
a piece of wood!

Of all the things God COULD have used to do his miracles, why
did he choose this piece of wood?

I am convinced that God chose my shepherd's staff because of the
three things it represents:

It represents MY source of livelihood.

It represents MY standard of living.

It represents MY influence.

Until God got my attention, I relied on the strength of my back
and the sweat of my brow to put food on my table. But after I
allowed God to control things, God sent us Manna from Heaven. A
free gift.

Until God got my attention, my standard of living was the lowest
in the land. Sheep herders are on the bottom rung of the social
ladder. My people in Egypt had become slaves. But after I
allowed God to control things, I became the ruler of three
million people who will ultimately become the greatest, richest
nation the Earth has ever seen.

Until God got my attention, my influence was limited to my
family and my sheep. But after I allowed God to control things,
I became the judge of my people, having life and death influence
over three million people. My writings will be read and studied
by billions of people throughout the ages.

But what does all this mean to you? I invite you to ask yourself
the same question God asked me. "What's that in YOUR hand?" Look
around you for the symbol of YOUR livelihood, your standard of
living, your influence and see if God can use it to do great
things through you.

What IS that in YOUR hand?

©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use:
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Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances.
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