So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 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. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword…And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:9-13, 15-16, ESV

The Children of Israel had escaped from the Egyptians through the Red Sea. God provided manna to eat, and they thought they were headed directly to the Promised Land. And then, Amalek attacked them…Israel was minding her own business, on her way to where God told her to go, and she was under attack again.

Have you ever faced a season of seemingly unrelenting challenges?

It is tempting to ask, “Why?”

“What did I do to deserve this?”

And often, there is no logical answer. We live in a fallen world, and sometimes bad things happen to the nicest people.

But, we can learn from Moses. He assessed the situation and delegated the fighting to Joshua and his men. He took the staff of God with him and two strong friends to watch and see what God would do. Then he lifted up the staff of God and watched.

I think this is what happens when we lift up our needs to God in prayer. When Moses grew tired, his friends lifted up his arms—just as our friends can lift us up in prayer. I imagine the bystanders, the families, and friends of the men fighting were also watching and praying. And, they continued until the battle was won by the Lord.

When we face overwhelming circumstances, we can gather our support team. Accept the help we need. And trust God with the battle.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Your Word to show us Your faithfulness. In our fallen world, many people face overwhelming circumstances. Help us to remember to entrust them to You whether they are ours, our family’s, or our friend’s battle because You alone can bring the victory.

Copyright Diana Anderson.

Diana is a member who teaches history and art to secondary students at a Christian school in Kennewick, WA. One of her students is fighting leukemia, again. #KarsonStrong