Take What's in Your Hand: Living Out Your God-Given Calling

"The Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand? "Exodus 4:2

Over the years, I've had the privilege of helping people start businesses for more than 24 years and serving in ministry for over 25 years. During that time, I've noticed something that breaks my heart.

So many people have dreams that God has placed in their hearts, yet they never get started.

Sometimes they're waiting for the perfect timing. Sometimes they're waiting until they have more money, more resources, more confidence, or everything perfectly in place. They believe they'll begin "one day," but that day never seems to come.

I've learned something different about God.

God almost never starts with everything we think we need. He starts with what He's already placed in our hands.

When God called Moses, He didn't hand him an entire plan. He simply asked, "What is that in your hand?" Moses had a shepherd's staff. To Moses, it was ordinary. To God, it was exactly what He would use to begin delivering an entire nation.

Throughout Scripture, we see this pattern again and again.

The widow only had a little oil.

David only had a sling.

The little boy only had five loaves and two fish.

None of them had enough by human standards, yet God multiplied what they were willing to place in His hands.

I believe that's still how God works today.

One of my favorite moments in Scripture is Jesus' first recorded miracle at the wedding in Cana. No one understood why Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. It didn't make sense. But Mary gave them one of the greatest pieces of advice found anywhere in Scripture:

"Do whatever He tells you."John 2:5

I've tried to live my life by those words.

Don't try to figure everything out.

Don't wait until every question has been answered.

Simply do what God is telling you to do.

I've found that God rarely shows us the entire journey. He usually reveals just enough for us to take the next step. As we obey, He continues to direct our path.

That's exactly what Proverbs tells us:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."Proverbs 3:5-6

Notice that God doesn't ask us to understand everything first.

He asks us to trust Him.

I often think about one of our business clients. He was a firefighter who had been badly burned on the job and knew he couldn't do that forever. He didn't have a large company or a huge investment to get started. He simply decided he wanted to make $150 a day mowing lawns.

So that's exactly what he did.

He took the truck he already owned, the lawn mower he already had, and he got to work.

As time went on, he noticed another need in his community: junk removal. Because he had faithfully started with what was already in his hand, God used that small beginning to open another opportunity.

Today, he owns a million-dollar junk removal company.

It all started because he didn't wait for perfect conditions.

He simply started.

The Bible gives us another powerful reminder:

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."Ecclesiastes 11:4

If we're always waiting for perfect conditions, we'll never plant the seed. And if we never plant, we'll never experience the harvest God has prepared.

A seed doesn't look impressive when it's in your hand.

But once it's planted, it produces fruit. Then that fruit produces more seed. Before long, what began as one small act of obedience becomes something far greater than you ever imagined.

Maybe today, what's in your hand is a small amount of money.

Maybe it's a skill.

Maybe it's a relationship.

Maybe it's a burden God has placed on your heart.

Maybe it's simply a willingness to say yes.

Whatever it is, don't overlook it.

God has already placed something in your hand that He can use for His glory.

So my encouragement to you is simple:

Draw close to the Lord. Spend time in His Word. Learn to hear His voice.

Then, when He speaks...

Do whatever He tells you.

Take what's already in your hand, trust Him with it, and let Him do what only He can do.

You may discover that the very thing you've considered too small is exactly where God chooses to begin.