Zookeepers and snake handlers will tell you that an individual should never grab a snake by its tail because it can coil around in a split second and deliver a vicious bite. The correct method is to control it by its head so that it can’t bite.

In contrast, picking up a snake by its tail is exactly what God told Moses to do in Exodus 4:1-5. Moses must have encountered snakes in the Midian desert and knew this was unwise.

What was God trying to teach Moses? God not only wanted him to realize His power, but to also be willing to be used as His messenger to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21-23). There was little difference between throwing the rod to the ground and taking the snake by its tail. Both were acts of obedience to the Lord. The lesson was that God had the ability to use whatever means He wanted in order to validate His message to the people through Moses.

Today, what is in our hands? In a sense, our spiritual lives are in our hands because we choose whether we’ll squander the hours, days, weeks, months, and years in our own pursuits or if we’ll live an obedient life that’s useful to Almighty God (Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua 24:31).

If we will trust and obediently do what He asks, the Lord will mightily accomplish His will in us and through us.