Hands Held High

When last we left Moses things were getting dicey...

He was raising his hands high beseeching God Almighty for the victory as his beloved Israelites fought tooth and nail against the evil Amalekites. 

 

While his hands were raised, the Israelites prevailed against their enemy.  But as Moses grew weary in the task...think herculean Yoga pose for hours on end kind of task...his hands gradually drooped lower and lower causing the Israelites to lose the "upper hand" in the battle.

 

And then, just when all seemed lost... 2 amazing men came alongside Moses.  Aaron and Hur stepped up the mount, each leaned into Moses, supporting him and then raising his arms so the Israelites could win the victory.  And what a victory.  It was the first battle to be fought after the Israelites had been freed from the Egyptians.  Definitely a defining moment in their journey with God.  It was there that they called him Jehovah-Nissi... God my victory.  (Exodus 17:8-13) 

 

Through-out Scripture we can see that God is always about the Victory and Winning the Battle when his people seek Him.  

 

Joshua and his men could not win the battle alone.  They needed Jehovah-Nissi and Jehovah gave them Moses.

 

Moses could not keep his hands held high alone.  He needed Jehovah-Nissi and Jehovah gave him Aaron and Hur.

 

Aaron and Hur.  A brother and a friend.  Mighty in Grace to see Moses' need and risk all to be obedient to God's call.  They stepped into the gap to plead for the victory of Israel alongside Moses.

 

Beautiful Grace, extended to us through Jehovah-Nissi.

 

Do you see how God is still, this very day, extending Precious Grace to us as Jehovah-Nissi?

 

When one in our midst is in the battle of their life...fighting Amalekites or cancer... Jehovah-Nissi sends a Caregiver...

 

...a Caregiver that comes alongside to lift hands high on behalf of the beloved one.  A gentle hand to wipe the fevered brow, a strong hand to muscle through and encourage, a prayerful hand held high to beseech God Almighty for victory while the fight rages on..

 

...a Caregiver to come alongside and stand in the gap out of love.  And when the Caregiver becomes weary, too tired to meet the need, Gracious Jehovah-Nissi sends the helpers, the brothers, the friends to lean in and support the work being done, a steady strength to help carry the load.

 

Raising Hands High.  For the Beloved.  Beautiful, Beautiful Victory. 

 

And so, no matter, who you are, my friend, there is a lesson to be learned. Whether fighting the Amalekites yourself, or walking up the mount as Moses did, or even finding yourself called in as the support team, Jehovah-Nissi has a work for you to do...

 

Israel was promised the victory against the Amalekites... but they had to go out and fight.  Whatever life has thrown at you, know that Jehovah-Nissi has promised the victory, but you must arm yourself for the fight and walk into that battlefield prepared to give it all you've got.

 

Moses' part was to go to the top of the mount and raise his hands and the staff of God high.  It was the work Jehovah-Nissi had given him to do as leader of the beloved tribes of Israel.  He was their Caregiver.  And if you find yourself in such a role, know that Jehovah-Nissi has also promised you the victory, but when times of weariness come, and they will, let others come alongside to hold you up.  It is a precious work of Grace and Love.

 

Aaron and Hur had the crucial work of attending to Moses' need.  They encouraged him, supported him and leant him their strength when his was gone.  As you travel this life, you will see times when your friends or family are exhausted in their roles as Caregiver...you, my friend, have the awesome privilege of coming to their aid for a brief but annointed time.  And because of your gift, Jehovah-Nissi promises Victory for their beloved.

 

It is Grace Work for the Tired and Weary.  Beautiful, Intricate Design of Victory in Hands Held High. 

 

When we lift our Hands High in praise of Jehovah-Nissi, we can proclaim with the saints of old...

 

God my Victory!

 

 

Yoga and Moses...

Last year our youngest born and her handsome groom moved in with us after their house sold and they were waiting to close on their new home...

 

It was a joy having them here...laughter ringing around the table each night and happy helpers to handle farm chores while we traveled to The Mediterranean on a dream vacation...

 

I was also "blessed" to have them encourage me to step up my exercise workout.  Which for me was basically doing farm chores and mowing the yard...don't knock it...it's hard work ;-)

 

They loved the P90X Workout series and I (being of unsound mind and body) decided to try it with them...shoot me now...

 

For the uninitiated, the P90X Workout is a series of 12 intense exercise routines designed to take your body from regular to ripped (trust me, you will rip something if you try this workout...intense doesn't even do it justice...)

 

The 12 exercise routines rotate over a 12 day period.  One day is a cardio workout, another day is an ab workout, another day is martial arts, etc.  By day two I realized that doing farm chores and mowing the yard does not count as exercise.  By day three I was crying.  By day four I laid down on the nice soft carpet and ignored my healthy, ambitious children as they energetically exercised around me... It wasn't pretty.

 

So, imagine my surprise when I found out that day eight was a Yoga workout.  Hey, I thought... I could so do that!  No crazy kick moves, sweat-inducing sit-ups or heart-attack-causing jumping jacks.  Just slow easy moves that sounded so...easy...like... the Mountain Pose, and the Crescent Moon and the Up Dog...

 

And, yes, I gave it a try. 

 

Oh. My. Word.  Can Yoga and Death by Exercise be put into the same sentence?  I pulled muscles that don't exist.  Totally blew my mind that something as calm and peaceful as Yoga could be such an intense workout (Katie and Jordan reminded me that the P90X tagline is "a series of 12 intense exercise routines."  I tried to throw a pillow at them, but my arms cramped up into a brand new Yoga pose... it was sad)

 

I crawled into bed and begged Leroy to bring me water and aspirin.  And while I waited for him to put me out of my misery (and stop laughing), I thought of the story of Moses and Amalek.  Please don't ask how my mind went there, there is no figuring it out.

 

But, anyway, the story of Moses and the Amalekites.  Here's Jane's-In-a-Nutshell version...

 

Moses rescued the people (Israel) from the hand of the Egyptians and then they wandered in the wilderness for a long, long time.  While they were wandering, they ran into a group of bullies, the Amalekites, who wanted to kill them.  This wouldn't do, so Moses told Joshua, his right hand man, to gather some men and go out and fight the Amalekites.  And while they were fighting, Moses said he would take the staff of God and stand on the hill above them.  As long as Moses stood on that hill with his hands held up, the Israelite army was winning.  When his arms became heavy, and he lowered them, the Israelites started losing.

 

Quite a dilemma for Moses...because this was kind of like a major, mega Yoga pose.  I think I will call it the Hands-Held-High Pose.  And he had to hold that pose for Hours...battles between nations generally last at least a couple of hours... and while it sounds pretty easy... just hold your hands up, easy... it is not.  (May I remind you that Yoga is an intense workout?!)

 

So, we have an Israelite army in the fight of her life, we have a leader standing in the gap for the people (Israelites) he loves, and we have a potential crisis due to plain, old weariness.  If our leader can't hold his hands up high, all may be lost...

 

What happens next???  Stay tuned tomorrow to see if Moses can maintain the Hand-Held-High Pose and lead the Israelites to victory...

 

(If you can't stand the suspense, you can read ahead in Exodus 17:8-13...)

 

And maybe we can see how this applies to our 31-Day Grace for the Caregiver Challenge.  And it does apply... I promise!

 

See you tomorrow.  Praying Blessings of Grace over you, Jane