By Ourselves...

We live in a culture that deeply values individual rights. It’s written right into the preamble of our constitution and our declaration of Independence. That attitude has immersed itself in almost every area of American life. This attitude has made us strong in some ways, but 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
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 make war against them, thinking they weren’t organized enough yet 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. To release God’s authority 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. It is at this point we all need friends to stand with us. There is a time to stare down our independent nature and let others stand in faith with us, lift up our hands beside us, and ruggedly trust God to carry the day for us. Not a one of us can always be strong BY OURSELVES! ~Verlon