It is time for another quick detour. I am usually not too good when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, but this year (at least 19 days in) I am right on pace. I have committed to reading through the Bible in a year again. Nevertheless, on day 119, who knows if I will still be going strong or not! With that said, I am in the middle of the Book of Exodus. As I am reading through Exodus, I have noticed that God called Moses to some very difficult situations. Sometimes, God called Moses to go at it alone, but others times God gave Moses some help. So, I want to look at two stories in Exodus – one in which Moses had to do it alone, and the other where God gave him so help. So, let’s begin with what God called Moses to do alone.
As you know, God called Moses out of Midian to go lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. After the plagues and the first Passover, Israel was led to the Red Sea (or the “Sea of Reeds”). God told Moses to lift up his staff and divide the sea (cf. Exodus 4:16). What!? In verse 21, we see Moses doing just that “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.” Notice, it says that the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night! Have you ever tried to lift up your hands above your head for any amount of time? It is even harder when you have something in your hand (Moses had a staff). Sometimes God calls us to do some things that might seem crazy, might be extremely hard, but He is seeing if we will step out in faith and do it – even if we have to do it alone! Again, God is the one who brought the east wind that brought forth the miracle. However, the miracle didn’t take place until Moses took his step of faith. And that is how God works much of the time. I wonder what God has been speaking to your heart. Has he asked you to take a step of faith and you have been reluctant? Will your family, friends, and neighbors think you are crazy if you take this step of faith that God has put in your heart? Using the staff as a metaphor – what is the staff that He is asking you to hold up right now? Sometimes, He will not calm the raging sea of your life until you lift your staff. Moses, himself, had to initiate and sustain this miracle that God was performing by lifting up his staff.
Now, other times God will call us to do something and He knows we will need some help. We fast forward in the Book of Exodus to chapter 17. We see in this chapter a people group, called the Amalekites, come and fight Israel at Rephidim (cf. v. 8f). So, Israel is in battle. Verses 10-12 read “Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.” So, God caused it so that when Moses had his hands up, Israel was winning, but when Moses’ hands were down, Israel was losing. All day long Moses had to keep his hands up, and they became heavy. So, what happened? God gave Moses two helpers, Aaron and Hur. They brought him a stone, so he could sit down. They supported his hands – one on one side and one on the other. Again, God was the one who was fighting the battle, but He designed it so that He worked through Moses’ obedience. Do you have friends like Aaron and Hur? Thank God for them! Are you struggling with something that you can’t bear alone? Are you winning or losing in your life right now? It may be time for you to talk to your “Aaron or Hur”. Or maybe you need to pray that God will send you an “Aaron or Hur”. Or maybe God has been nudging you to speak to a professional counselor. If you need a professional counselor, give New Life Counseling Center a call. We have great counselors here that can give you tools to help you keep your hands up (using the image metaphorically again), so that you can win in the battle of life. See you next week back in the Book of Colossians…