Journal Entry ~ 09/07/18

11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. - Exodus 17:11-13

Moses’ steady hands resulted in enduring strength in the Lord. Though it was clearly difficult to hold his arms up for the length of the battle, so long as he endured, the Lord blessed the Israelites in battle. The same promise is true for us. When we encounter a battle in our lives, when we feel as if we are fighting through the challenges we face in this broken world, if we endure and remain steadfast in our trust in His strength, He is faithful to provide victory. 

This story reminds me of the last few verses in James I just posted about a few weeks ago - Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. - James 5:11. In the translation I memorized, it uses the word “endurance” rather than “steadfast.”  These stories exist in scripture to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to those who endured, or remained steadfast, in His name. He wants us to read them, to know them, to remember to so that He can remind us He is compassionate and full of mercy when we endure through the difficult times and keep our eyes fixed on Him. 

The problem is the world so easily takes our focus. We grow tired of holding our hands up in our battle, and find it much easier to throw in the towel. But think about what happens when we do that - the enemy begins to win. I am currently walking through several different battles in my life, trusting that He is at work and fighting the battle for me. There are days that I grow frustrated, and give in to anger or fear in the battle.  Too many things seem to happen at once, and the battle doesn’t go the way I want it to, so I forget and drop my arms. Fear grabs a hold of my head, or anger swirls up out of my heart, and I lose control. I quickly fall into the pit of despair. 

But when I’ve got my eyes fixed on Him in the battle, and I push through the pain, He blesses me with peace and strength to endure.  He reminds me that He’s got this - I have no reason to fear or fight, I simply need to keep my eyes fixed on Him and my arms raised in praise of the One who reigns victorious every single time. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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