Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. (Numbers 20:8)
Nothing is said in the Scripture as to what was to be done with the rod. Perhaps God intended Moses to raise it in the direction of the rock as he spoke.