April
07
Tags
A Little Help from My Friends
I couldn’t decide between two paintings to illustrate the idea of a “prayer covering,” so I am including both. They each depict a story in Exodus 17. The people of Israel are on their desert journey when they are attacked by the Amalekites. Moses commands Joshua to take some men and engage in battle while Moses takes his staff and climbs a nearby mountain. While Joshua and his companions fight, Moses, with his arms in the air, prays. Aaron and Hur were with Moses and they notice that when he raises his arms, the Israelites prevail. But holding your hands in the air can take its toll. Moses’ arms grow weary and his hands begin to creep downward. When this happened, they notice the enemy gains the upper hand.
To help Moses, Aaron and Hur sit him down on a rock and each one takes an arm. They realize how crucial it is for Moses to keep the staff raised at all times. Soon, victory was theirs.
Just today, I’ve had four people call me and ask for prayer. One is facing health issues, the other has a big decision to make, one lost a family member, and one just needs a dose of sanity after being cooped up at home. I am honored to be asked to pray for them. Personally, I’m not so good at asking for prayer for myself. According to our 40-day prayer challenge, I should get better at that. It is good to know others are there when we need help “keeping our hands in the air.” We just need to ask.
Who are your Aarons and Hurs? If you don’t have them, I recommend you get them. If you do have them, give them a call if you could use some support. We all can stand in the gap for each other.
Being Human connection: Spiritual battles can only be won when knees are bent in prayer and hands are raised in worship. While Moses may seem to get all the attention, the Aarons and Hurs of the world are heroes too.
Featured Art: (left side) Joseph Brickey, “One Before God,” brickeyfineart.com; (right side) John Everett Millais, “Victory O Lord!” 1871, Manchester Art Gallery