Lifting the heavy hands

Watching someone you love go through a tough trial is really hard to watch.

I’ve had this experience recently, and I’ve been praying constantly for how to help solve this person’s problems so that they aren’t in so much pain.

But the impression that keeps coming back to my mind is: “This is their trial to deal with. What you can do is support and love and lift.”

And I’ve taken that to heart.

I can’t take away the trial or the pain or the heartache.

But I can love and support and lift this person through little acts of service, communication, heart-to-heart conversations, and lots of prayer.

So often, the story of Moses raising his hands in prayer to help the Israelites win their first battle in the wilderness is interpreted one specific way.

But these words touched my heart as I read Exodus 17:12:

“But Moses’ hands were heavy;

“and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon;

“and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side;

“and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

Two friends.

One of them a brother, in fact.

Staying by Moses’ side until the sun set.

They couldn’t take away the heavy task that had been given to Moses, of staying with his hands raised in prayer.

But they knew that they could be there to love, support, and lift.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black