Does God want us to do this alone?

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Does God want us to do this alone? When I went to church as a kid, I didn't really understand why we went to church. I know we had to, but even when we went to church, I didn't understand what the preacher was saying. So, to me, it just felt like a chore, something we're just supposed to check off the list weekly. But, when I got invited to a Christian summer camp, that's when I had my first experience with God. There was lots of music, a message, and a moment where I felt like God was speaking directly to me in my heart, telling me, "I want to have a relationship with you. Come to me." So, that night, I submitted and gave my life to Christ. Now, did I know what it meant to be Christian? No. I wondered if I now had to wait another year for the next summer camp to experience God again, cuz this was all new to me. So, this morning, I was reading about Moses, and I wondered if he had the same thought. Because check this, he's 80 years old, he's going about his daily life, shepherding some sheep, and then all of a sudden, he has this moment where God appears to him in a burning bush. And in that moment, God initiates a relationship with Moses, saying he wants to use him to go set God's people free, the Israelites. And Moses has all these questions. Who am I to do this? And God essentially says, "Don't worry, I will be with you." Then he gives him a vision of what's to come. And while Moses is asking more questions, God asks Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Now, the staff is what Moses would use in this current season of life to guide the sheep, the flock that he's taking care of. And then God shows him how he wants to use that staff to perform miracles. Not only to prove to Moses that it's real, but so that Moses could prove to others that God is making all of this happen. But here's the thing, why do you think God chose the staff to demonstrate all his miracles? Was it really that important? Well, if we go to the last interaction between Moses and God before Moses leaves the burning bush, do you know what the last thing was that God said to Moses? "Take the staff in your hand so you could perform the signs with it." Why did he need the staff? I think the answer to, "Does God want us to do this alone?" is actually in the staff. Okay, let's think about this. When God told Moses, "Go, and I will be with you," what did Moses have in his hand? The staff. When God performed the first miracles to Moses, what did he use? The staff. What if God wanted Moses to keep the staff from his past as a daily reminder of God's presence and God's power? Presence, God said, "I will be with you." Power. The miracles that God performed. Wouldn't it be crazy if we had something like that? A daily power? We already do. When I left that summer camp, I thought I was leaving God behind. But the Bible became my daily reminder that God doesn't want us to do this alone. And we don't have to memorize this, but God does want us to pick it up and use it. Because after we become Christians, putting our faith in Jesus, God sends us the Holy Spirit, who Jesus says, "Will teach you all things and remind you of everything I've said to you." God can and will use the Holy Spirit to guide us with God's presence and in God's power. Let us know how we can be praying for each other today, friends. God bless.