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[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17: 8-15)
I've loved this section of scripture for a while. I remember reading it before and was like okay move on, and then one night God brought it to life. If you read the set of scriptures right before this one, it is a time of frustration in the Israelite camp and they were in a wanting mood from Moses. They wanted him to make happen what they wanted right then and there. Verse 7 says they tested the Lord going "Is He among us or not?". Think about all they had seen God do at this point and yet they still doubted if He would come through our not. Oh how we find ourselves in that spot at moments....and if we aren't paying attention to when those thoughts and feelings arise, we can get into the same mode they were in. Frustration preceded battle....so by the time Moses made it to this battle time, he was probably growing weary. Verse 11 says as long as Moses' hands were raised, the battle continued in their favor. (but remember he went into the battle already weary from frustration...) Verse 12 says Aaron and Hur held his hands up when he grew tired...until the battle was won. Verse 14 jumped out at me today when I read this again...God wanted to make sure Moses recorded what had happened that day and to make sure and tell Joshua. Joshua was so in the middle of the battle that he couldn't stop to see what was going on in another realm. God wanted him to know. I'm sure on those days when Joshua would grow weary....this would serve as a remembrance for him.
I don't know how your week has gone, but God does. Maybe you are in the place where Moses is and the battle has left you tired and weary at this point and it's getting hard for you to keep praising through. (Cause after all that's how we fight through the battles....praise). I pray you have an Aaron and Hur close by to hold your hands up and remind you of all that God has done already. Maybe you are the Aaron and Hur in the situation....speak life to the ones God has placed in your path that you know are growing weary. Don't be like the priest in the story of the Good Samaritan and just wish them well as you travel on...do what you can and remind them how to press/praise through. Maybe you are the Joshua in the story and you need to read back through all that God has already done...(pick up your Bible and get started.....When God gives me "that verse" in a moment I put a date beside it in my Bible. Sometimes I just need a trip back down through those to remember that if He spoke then, He's still speaking now. If He did it then, He's still doing now. God is no respecter of persons and is looking for children in receive mode to pour out all of Him.). Maybe you are the Moses that needs to tell the Joshua your story. So many times we keep to ourselves when God does something when we need to be sharing our press through the praise moments or simple our praise moments. You don't know who needs to hear, but God does. Don't hold back just because insecurity hits. (I'm finding that when those insecure moments hit (and trust me they will), it's because what is on the inside of you is needing to come out and it scares the enemy. Hear my heart...if the enemy can make you doubt what is on the inside of you, feel like you aren't enough to do what God has called you to do, think you have no place doing it because you are you, or discourage you from seeing that you are making a difference...he wins. The enemy throws those lies when he is scared...because if he can slide one in and you start playing it around in your head, he can slow down that walk of yours. It's in those moments when we as Children of the Most High have to throw those lies back in his face and stand on truth. Transparent moment....all of those lies I listed above have been thrown at me at least once this week. In the hustle and bustle of the week, exhaustion hit early and putting those thoughts in their place took a backseat to sleep (or attempting to sleep). I love that God knows what is going on in realms we can't see and will slow us down at some point even if it means we spend our time with Him crying it out. That's a blog for another day...
I'm at a place in this journey that I've seen what God can do and I know greater is still coming. I still find myself having to stir up what is on the inside when the enemy throws his mess in my path, but God is faithful when we take the time to stir it up, He'll pour it out. I don't know what battle you are facing at the moments but hear my heart...if God moved then, He is still moving now. Get still and let Him remind you of your Amalekites(battles already won) moments...and let that stir up what is on the inside of you to keep pressing through the now. See what the enemy doesn't quite get that I'm strong enough now to know that when he starts throwing what needs to be done even if I don't slow down to do it at first. It's in the recognizing what is going on and slowing down to remind the enemy not today. Maybe you always find yourself in the Aaron and Hur part and can do the helping someone else through, be open enough to let others help you and trust that God is going to give back what you are giving out. I'm dreaming again and knowing that the God who has already done so much...still has greater in store. I've seen what He can do...and that fills me with an expectation of what He still has in store.
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