Faith & Purpose Today
A Daily Devotional By Larry
God Needs Your Hands
January 21st, 2026.
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea.’” (Exodus 14:16)
One thing you must settle in your spirit is this: God works through your hands. He doesn’t drop miracles out of the sky. He doesn’t bypass human obedience. He doesn’t ignore the vessel and only release the power. God has chosen to partner with people, and that means your hands matter. Your actions matter. Your obedience matters. If you don’t stretch your hand, nothing stretches. If you don’t move, nothing moves. If you don’t act, nothing activates.
Look at Moses again. God could have parted the Red Sea without Moses. He didn’t need a man to lift a stick for the waters to obey Him. But He chose to require it. Why? Because God has tied His movement to human obedience. He said, “Stretch out your hand.” That means the miracle was waiting on Moses’ action. The power was ready. The sea was ready. Heaven was ready. But Moses had to move first. Until he stretched his hand, nothing happened.
This is how God works with you. He doesn’t need your strength — He needs your obedience. He doesn’t need your ability — He needs your availability. He doesn’t need your perfection — He needs your participation. Many believers sit and wait for God to “do something,” but God is waiting for them to stretch their hand. He’s waiting for them to take the step that signals faith. He’s waiting for them to act on what they already know.
Your hands may feel ordinary, but in God’s plan they are instruments of deliverance. Your actions may feel small, but they carry supernatural weight when aligned with His instruction. When Moses lifted his hand, it wasn’t the staff that parted the sea — it was God working through the obedience behind the staff. The power wasn’t in the wood. The power was in the obedience.
This is why you cannot underestimate your actions. You cannot belittle your steps. You cannot dismiss your obedience. When you stretch your hand in faith, heaven responds. When you take action, God adds His power to your movement. When you obey, God releases what He has already prepared.
Many believers pray for God to open doors, but they never reach for the handle. They pray for God to bless their work, but they never start the work. They pray for God to use them, but they never position themselves to be used. God cannot bless what you refuse to begin. He cannot multiply what you refuse to offer. He cannot strengthen steps you refuse to take.
Your hands are God’s hands on the earth. Your obedience is God’s opportunity. Your movement is God’s access point. When you stretch your hand, God stretches His power. When you act, God acts through you. When you move, God moves with you.
So stop waiting for God to do what He’s waiting for you to start. Stretch your hand. Take the step. Do the action. God is ready — but He needs your obedience to release what He has already prepared.
Prayer
Lord, use my hands for Your purpose. Help me obey quickly and boldly. Teach me to stretch my hand in faith so You can stretch Your power through me. Amen.
Reflection Question
What is God asking you to “stretch your hand” toward in this season?
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