DCLM Daily Manna 25 October 2026: God Our Sufficiency
KEY VERSE: “And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs” (Exodus 4:17).
TEXT: EXODUS 4:1–17
And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
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Faced with the cream of renowned evangelists and Christian leaders the world over, Billy Graham once stunned the audience as he narrated his ministry experiences. He said: “Let me tell you: every time I stand before the congregation of God’s people to preach, I tremble and my knees wobble!” The leaders wondered at the incongruity of his submission: how can such a great preacher who has enthralled millions with his powerful sermons exhibit trembling and wobbling knees? Then he went on to describe, not fear and stage fright, but intense humility and meekness as he felt inadequate for the daunting task to which God had called him. He relied on God for strength, not on his own eloquence.
This beautifully reenacts Moses’ feeling of inadequacy when God sent him to deliver the enslaved Israelites from their 400-year captivity in Egypt. Moses was troubled. Conscious of his own weaknesses, he expressed fear about the Lord’s call for him to lead Israel out of bondage. But God simply asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” The Lord shifted Moses’ attention away from his anxiety about the future and suggested he noticed what was right in his hand—a shepherd’s staff. God showed him that He could use this ordinary staff to perform miracles as a sign for unbelieving people. As Moses’ trust in God grew, so did the magnitude of miracles God worked through him.
For each deficiency that Moses highlighted, God had a satisfying and abundant provision. This is also true of believers today. When God calls you to do something, He intentionally provides all you need to accomplish the task. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Instructively, God’s instruments almost always confound the wise and mighty. With Moses, it was a “shepherd’s rod”. With David, it was “five smooth stones”. In the ministry of Jesus, it was “but five loaves and two fishes”. With Samson, it was “the jawbone of an ass”. The unmistakable import of all these is in the reality of the sovereignty of God. He does what He chooses to do through any instrument of His choice. You do not need to sell yourself short. If God has called you to a task, rest assured that He will equip you for it.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: However daunting an assignment is, God provides the enablement.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 12–14.
DCLM Daily Manna 25 October 2026
