people who hold up your arms

Lately, I have had one story continually run through my mind: Exodus 17. If you don’t know this story, it is (in short) about a battle in Israel. The only way the Israelites could win was if Moses held up the staff of God. The moment his arms lowered, the battle began to disintegrate. He had to keep his hands raised, but imagine how exhausting that would be. I used to underestimate the strength of cheerleaders keeping their arms high until my fourth grade cheer camp where I realized how mistaken I was. Your arms begin to burn, ache, and beg you to lower them. I can imagine what Moses was thinking... his muscles shaking, the fate of Israel in his hands (quite literally), the tremble of exhaustion pulsing through his aged body. I can imagine his mind beat against him, “Just let go for one moment. Rest for just a second.” He couldn’t. He had to keep them up or lives were lost. He was on his own, his arms, his will. But God promises over and over again that we will never be alone. Not only is He with us, but he fills our life with people who can bear the burden. In Moses’s case, it was Aaron and Hur. When Moses grew weary, they gave him rest. They held his arms up for him. When it was too much for him, they were there to care for him in his suffering. This picture is so beautiful to me. They held his arms in the air for him. This perfectly paints the story of our duty to each other as believers. So often when we see one we love suffering, our instinct is to give a fix-it. Aaron and Hur could have told Moses, “Just work out more so next time your arms are stronger.” They could have said, “This is just the Lord testing you, you just have to pass.” They didn’t say those things. They did one thing. There is no dialogue from them in the passage- simply the action of them bearing his burden in a very real way. Even more than this, another image is shown: they kept his arms raised. When we worship, we raise our hands. I can’t help but wonder if God meant that to represent more than just the care we need to give each other in suffering, but the truth we must constantly speak to each other.

"I know this is hard, I am here to care for you. I know this hurts, but continue to raise your arms to the Lord. When you can't, I will."

Raise your hands. Whether that looks like worship or a fist or a special finger or a desperate plea like a child to their parent- raise your hands. When you hear the whispers begging you to take a break, raise your hands. When Satan entices you back to what hurts you, raise your hands. When you feel powerless and small, raise your hands. When anxiety fills your mind, raise our hands. When you are lost and stumbling, raise your hands. When you feel out of control, raise your hands. This story reminds me over and over again of the truth of the Lord: we are not alone, all we need to do is raise our hands and raise our faces to the Lord. Satan’s greatest tool is isolation from God... convincing us we are weak, unwanted, and intensifying the burnign of our tired arms. We are weak. He, he is stronger than Satan himself. We are branches of the vine, together we strengthen each other through the strength of Christ. So, raise your arms, and if you can’t, seek the people who hold them up.