Who's Holding Your Arms?

Exodus 17: 8-16 (NIV)

The Amalekites Defeated

⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹ Moses said to Joshua,“Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

¹⁰ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

¹⁵ Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. ¹⁶ He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

As we press through life's journey today. I have paused to focus on Exodus 17:8-16 as a point of reference that we can not walk our faithful journey alone. In today's text Moses is in prayer, praise, and petition of deliverance to God for the Hebrew peoples victory in battle over the Amalekite people. Scripture reminds of the physical position of Moses, standing firm and tall with his arms upward and outstretched toward God in the havens. This position is one that is widely  known to the people of God, as if you go almost in any house of worship it is common to see people in this same position reaching out to God. However Moses arm began to tire and the blessing is that Moses was not alone, the text says that Aaron and Hur were there to assist Moses and hold his arms up until the evening enabling the people of God to be delivered. 

The important things for us to gain from this scripture are:

1) We are not in this journey alone. When we get tired, distraught and began to feel that our circumstances are too much to overcome remember you are not alone. We must only identify our Hur's and Aaron's. 

2) Living for God is not about us alone but about the entire family of God. Moses was not approaching God for his own singular benefit, but on behalf on the family as a whole. When we stand in the gap we must always see the bigger picture of love for one another. 

3) Just as we need others to hold our arms, we must be there to hold the arms of others. There are times when we are Moses's reaching to God for deliverance. However we must also prepare to be someone else's Aaron when the time arrives. 

So then the ultimate question is who's holding your arms? Who's arms are you holding?  

In closing,today I am praying for the comfort, peace and strength for the families of the 6 persons whom lost their lives in yesterday's tornadoes. As well as all of our fellow Illinoisans whose homes and property were destroyed and damaged. May God be with you all, and may the Holy Spirit rest on each of you indeed I trust that God will bring you through this great tragedy. In Jesus name this is my prayer. Amen.

Be Well, Love P.J.