By Ourselves…

By Morgan Butcher on 1/27/11

We live in a culture that values individual rights more than almost any other in the world.  It’s actually written right into the preamble of our constitution and our declaration of Independence. That kind of attitude has absorbed itself into almost every area of American life. This attitude has made us strong in some ways for sure, although there is a downside to it…
“It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning. But Moses got tired. So Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side.” Ex. 17:11-12
Here in scripture Israel was facing their first fight after leaving Egypt. As they traveled through the land, the nations that lived there were threatened by their numbers. So they decided to wage war against them, thinking Israel wasn’t organized enough to defend themselves well. And it was true - Israel was outmatched. But on the day of the clash, Moses stood on a hill and lifted up his staff, releasing the authority of God over the battle. This was an invisible tactic, but it had an obvious effect. Allowing God’s authority to release into situations continues to have real effects, even in our day. But exercising this kind of raw faith and focused prayer takes energy. Even the great ones soon become tired (ex. Moses).  It’s at this point we all need friends to stand with us. There is a time to stare down our independent nature and a time to allow others to stand in faith with us, lift up our hands, and ruggedly trust God to carry the day for us. Not one of us can always be strong BY OURSELVES!
_Morgan Butcher

Back to Top