Worry into Worship - Battles into Blessings

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Exodus 17:11-13 (NIV)

I have several friends and family members who are facing some tough times and much of it is spiritual warfare. As I was praying this morning God brought to mind the story of the Israelites battling the Amalekites in the Valley of Rephidim. It was the first major conflict the Israelites had experienced since coming out of Egypt. According to Deuteronomy 25:18 the Amalekites attacked Israel from the rear, attacking first those who were weary and worn out from the journey. The enemy often focuses on those who are tired and struggling. 

Moses called on Joshua to choose out some men for battle and go fight the Amalekites at Rephidim, and Moses would go to the hilltop and stand with the staff of God in his hand. As the battle rages, as long as Moses holds his hands in the air, the Israelites have the upper hand. But when his arms get tired and his hands are lower, the Amalekites have the advantage. Moses is joined by his brother Aaron and another man, Hur. When they realized what was happening, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for Moses to sit on and they stood one on each side and helped him keep his hands in the air. As a result, Joshua defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim. 

As I was reading the story again, it hit me that raised hands are often a sign of praying, worshiping, and praising God (see Nehemiah 8:6, Psalm 134:2, 1 Timothy 2:8, and others...) As long as Moses' hands were raised, God's people were winning the battle, but when the hands dropped, the enemy gained control of the conflict. As long as God's people are praying and praising God we are winning the battles, but when we stop praying and praising we begin to be defeated by the enemy. 

In this world, we will have trouble. We have been set free from the Egypt of our sin and we are journeying to a Promised Land of eternal salvation, but for now we live in a world infected by sin and infested by an enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). There will be battles, and they will come when we are weary, tired and worn out from the journey. The key to victory in the battles is to pray, worship and praise the Lord until the victory comes. 

Sometimes we will grow tired in the battle, and we will need some "Aarons" and "Hurs" to help us. We were never meant to fight alone, so don't resist help from God's people. And sometimes it will you who need to be an Aaron of Hur for someone else; don't let those opportunities pass you up - others need you too. 

By the way, though the Amalekites were defeated that day, that wasn't the last time the Israelites had to fight them. But God made a promise that one day He would "completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” (Ex. 17:14) The battle you are going through now won't be the last one you will fight; the enemy will continue to harrass and attack as long as he can; but we have a promise from God that one day the enemy will be removed and will never disturb the people of God again (Revelation 20:10). Until that day, fight the good fight of faith, and use the weapons pf prayer, worship and praise to experience the victory God has promised you!

Do What You Can While You Can

 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)

Recently a good friend of mine passed away. We worked pretty closely together for about 15 years, and spent a lot of time laughing, crying, praying and talking together. One thing my friend often said was, "I wish I would have..." or sometimes "I should have..." Looking back on life my friend realized there were some things left undone. 

All of us probably do the same thing. I turned 53 in April, and for me birthdays are generally a time of reflection. I thought about where I am in life - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, relationaly, etc. - and I recognize that there are a lot of things I wished I had not done, or done differently. I hear people sometimes say, "I don't have any regrets..." Not me. There are several things I did as a child or young person that have affected me for the rest of my life; some things I wish I could undo, un-say or un-see. But I can't so I have to live with them. Many of them I have grown beyond, but some still haunt me. 

I have also realized there are a lot more things that I wished I had done earlier in life; things that would have benefited me in many ways: spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, relationaly, financially and more. Looking back I see things I could have done that would have improved my life dramatically. In some ways, I would like to have a "do-ever", an opportunity to redo somethings in my younger years. Of course I realize that we rarely get a do-over in life. Once something is done, seen or heard, it is impossible to completely undo. 

The good news is that while there aren't any do-overs in life, there is new beginnings. God is a God of new beginnings; His mercies are new each morning, and if we are in Christ we are a new creation. We can't go back and change the past, but we can begin where we are to have a different future. Where we are is not where we have to always be. 

In writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul encourages the believers to pay attention to how they are living. He says, "Be careful then how you walk..." The first word in the verse is the Greek word “blepo” and it literally means “look” or “watch.” It has to do with the eyes, but in this sense it means to look in order to evaluate, or take an inventory. So Paul is saying, “Take a look at your life. Do a little self-examination. What are the things you are living for? What are you giving yourself too? What are you spending your time on?" 

Year ago I was at a lunchtime Bible study being led by Dr. Randy Davis, currently the executive director of the TN Baptist Mission Board, and he was talking about priorities. And he said something that really convicted me. He said, to determine a person’s priorities, we need to look at only two books: the datebook and the checkbook. What you give your time to and what you give your money to are what your priorities are.

Paul says we are to “look carefully” how we are living. Some people read that and see the word "carefully" and think think "be safe"or "don't take any risks." There are some people who are always living their lives on the defensive. Instead of striving to accomplish their purpose or goals, they’re just trying not to make too many mistakes. They don’t want to try anything new. They don’t want any change. They just want to live in their comfort zone. In fact they never attempt anything out of their comfort zone. Their motto is “Just don’t rock the boat.” Consequently their life is dominated by fear rather than by faith. They think “look carefully” means never take any risks. 

But the word Paul uses that is translated "carefully" is the word “akribos”. It means to be precise, diligent, perfect, etc. It is related to the word from which we get "acrobat." When I think of an acrobat, I don't necessarily think of one who plays it safe or does nothing. I think of someone who is active and precise. A good acrobat is one who trains and takes every precaution for safety, but still does their performance. Every time they do, they take a risk, but it is a careful, calculated risk. A person who lives carefully, doesn’t act foolishly, but does live fully!

Paul is saying, "Pay careful attention to how you are living your life." In other words, do some self examination; are you living your life to the fullest? Are you giving yourself to the things that matter most? Are you leveraging your time and resources for that which will make the most difference in the future? Are you doing what you should do while you have the opportunity to do it? You can't go back and change the past, but you can begin today to do what will make the future different. Pay attention to how you are living your life.