A Prayer for Comfort

…11So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.… Exodus 17

 Sometimes life feels like a battlefield with artillery being fired from all sides. The hardship is so acute it feels as if a sniper has me in his crosshairs taking potshots. Sometimes it’s others I stand with in the battle. I think this morning of dear friends who are battling for their very lives or grieving for those taken from them too soon. Their circumstances are overwhelmingly unbearable. We beg the Lord for healing and mercy, and often, we don’t see the answer we’re looking for.

As I was praying for my dear friends this morning I asked the Lord not only to be with them but also to send them in-the-flesh encouragement.  I can’t be there myself and long for them to feel the sweet peace the Lord gives and the support of community he provides during times when we feel like we could fall over from exhaustion.

The picture that came to my mind was when Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses during the Israelites’ battle against. the Amalekites.  Moses had said he would stand on a hill overlooking the battle with the staff of the Lord in his hand. The staff that had most likely turned into a serpent in front of a powerful Egyptian Pharaoh and had parted the Red Sea.

Have you ever tried to keep your arms upheld for very long? They get heavy, unbearably so. Ask any contestant who’s been on Survivor. Holding your arms up all day while the armies battled on must’ve been excruciating and the seemingly impossible.

Do you know how he kept his arms held up so long?

Two men were stationed beside him and helped him hold them up,  In his fatigue, they brought him something to sit on and supported his arms when he couldn’t do it by himself.

This is such a sweet picture of the body of Christ. How the Lord sends folks into our lives to encourage us and hold us during difficult times.  I’ve said many times and will again, that our friends were the hands and feet of Christ to us while Ryan was battling for his life. We were sustained emotionally, physically, and spiritually by those around us.

I’m grateful to a God who uses His people to do His work. It gives us hope in a world full of heartache. I pray you find sweet peace from the Lord and His people like we have.