But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12
We don’t have any real details of the Battle of Rephidim, where Joshua and his soldiers battled against the Amalekite raiders. The next verse simply tells us that Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people. That presumably means they defeated the Amalekites and chased them away. But the battle was not decided on the battlefield but on a nearby hill occupied by three men. That part is fascinating. As Moses held up his hands in prayer, Joshua had the advantage in the fight, but when he let down his hands, the Amalekites were winning. So Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands until the battle was over and won. What worked physically that day works spiritually for us today.
Whose hands do you hold up for the Lord today? The Lord’s servants and His people are involved in many battles today, and some of them are in urgent need of some holding up of hands. There are preachers carrying the Gospel forth, and missionaries serving faithfully in faraway places, all of who need our support and encouragement. There are also many thousands of the Lord’s people in many types of battles including financial, health, and legal struggles. And many thousands more are encountering opposition and persecution and suffering. Like Moses, their hands grow heavy with weariness and sometimes discouragement, and the enemy looks to be winning against them. What can we do?
We can pray. Learn of the need, and take it to the Lord, Who cares far more than we can. We can pay. Prayerful and careful financial support can work miracles beyond our expectations. We can get involved. Look for ways to help and act upon what we find. Holding up the hands of those who need support of any kind is good exercise. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/866K6EenF4I