Yielding to the vision is frightening. In scripture, the angels often began with, “Be not afraid.” This lets us know that being frightened is normal, but if what we are about to embark on is a call from God, then something good will follow.
There is no doubt that Moses was frightened when he laid down his shepherd’s staff and God turned it into a serpent. When he was told to pick up the serpent by the tail, he must have been full of fright. Naturally, picking up a snake by the tail is a very dangerous thing to do, especially if it’s poisonous.
Yet, Moses recognized the importance of following God’s commands. He trusted that God would protect him. He was right, of course. At that point the supernatural happened. God immediately turned the serpent back into a shepherd’s staff. Moses staff was transformed into a “staff of God.” This staff became a tool that God would use wondrously to aid in fulfilling His assignment.
The staff is a very important symbol. The staff of the Hebrew shepherd was more than just a stick found in the field and used to move the sheep along or used against some threat.
The staffs were carefully crafted and treated with compounds that hardened the wood. They were meant to last a lifetime. Shepherds noted important events by carving them into the wood. The shepherd’s name or the name of the leader of the tribe was carved into the wood.
Ultimately, the staff was symbolic of the life of the shepherd. By surrendering his staff to God (the Vision Giver), Moses was surrendering his life. Yielding to the vision is equivalent to surrendering one’s life for a higher purpose. Because we value our lives, it is obviously frightening.
Along with the fear comes a certain amount of peace. The knowledge that we are doing the right thing with our lives gives us the peaceful feeling. We often say, “Let go and let God.”
Moses still had a big job to do after he picked up that staff. Your vision may seem big as well. But you will be surprised by how easily things fall into place when you hear God’s voice and you surrender to the calling.
For Moses, yielding to the vision meant leading his flock out of Egypt and into freedom.
As you yield to the vision, it is important that you trust that God will protect and guide you, give you the necessary tools needed to carry out the assignment, and use the natural to do the supernatural. Your vision may seem too spectacular at first, but with God all things are possible. Belief is required. (Mark 9:23)