The world has gone absolutely mad lately. I have gotten to the point where I don’t even feel like I can have the news on when my girls are in the room because of the mass shootings, riots, gender issues, abortion talk, and everything else that I really don’t feel that they need to be exposed to just yet. It’s heartbreaking to see how much the world has changed just since 2020. Not only is the evil in this world reaching an exponential level, but the amount of depression, anxiety, and general unhappiness of people seems to also be increasing.

Technology has made things so much easier, however, the easier life seems to get, the less fulfilled people seem to be. This is blaringly evident as a public school teacher. I see each year the damage social media does to kids. The comparison mentality, the need to fit in, the absolute desire for something to go “viral”, and the willingness to do just about anything to be a part of the crowd. Now, all of these things (minus the going viral thing) have always existed among humanity, but until recent years, the ability to see other people parade the best parts of their lives 24/7 has not always existed. Sadly, the need to compare ourselves to others tends to keep so many people from fulfilling their God-given calling, in my opinion anyways. If you are chasing a dollar or chasing likes and fame, you may be missing out on the hidden place God may want you to be.

It struck me the other day how often God met with people in the middle of nowhere all throughout scripture. As a matter of fact, I have yet to find the verse stating that we have to be inside a church building to hear from God. Abraham was in his tent when God told him to step outside and look at the stars before promising him descendants (see Genesis 15:5), Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 4:1), Hagar met with an angel of the Lord in the desert (see Genesis16:7), Elijah was in a cave hiding when God sought him out (see 1 Kings 19), and Moses was spoken to out of a burning bush in the middle of nowhere when he was tending sheep. As far as I can tell, God likes to meet with us in the places where there are no distractions. That isn’t to say He can’t speak to us in the middle of a crowd, He definitely can, but there are some really tremendous encounters that we may be missing out on if we always allow ourselves to be distracted.

I love what God does with Moses in Exodus 4. At this point, God has told him that he will go back to Egypt to set free the Israelites. Moses proceeds to argue with God about how he is not the right man for the job and God does something incredible. He says to Moses starting in verse 2, “What is that in your hand?”, referring to his shepherd’s staff. He used the very tools of the trade for Moses to perform a miracle (hint: it turns into a snake). I think that little story is maybe something cute that we have colored a picture of or saw it flannel graphed in children’s church, but maybe we are missing a little something from the story. Moses wasn’t a preacher, he was a shepherd (also a murderous fugitive if you recall). God doesn’t require all of us to go to seminary to do great things for Him. He will use the tools of our trade, just like the staff of Moses, to accomplish His will. As a teacher, I try to keep this in mind. It doesn’t matter if I am not teaching Biblical studies, He can use a math or science lesson or simply a conversation with a student to speak His truths. The same is true of any job. Maybe you feeling alone in your job or position, is exactly the wilderness that God needs to have you in so that he can reveal His truths to you.

So, let me ask you the same question God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”

Maybe an even more important follow-up question: What will you use it for?