Feeling like Aaron

Today I felt like Aaron.

I'm referring to the story in the Bible of how Israel defeated the Amalekites and here's my favorite part:

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus 17: 10-13

So there was Moses up on some hill with his friends Aaron and Hur, and he was holding up a staff in his hand. And the height of his hands determined how the battle was going. It's odd, but I'll go with it.

After a while, of course, his arms got tired and he couldn't hold them up any longer. So his friends did it for him. Aaron and Hur held up his hands.

In my life, I feel like God is continuing to give me a bigger and bigger burden to pray for people around me. I want to hold up their hands when they can't do it any longer.

In the first service this morning at Vanguard Church I just couldn't fight the urge to raise my arms on behalf of those who either couldn't or wouldn't. I didn't know who in the room needed me to hold up their hands, but God did, and I held up mine on behalf of them. I saw a lot of people obviously in need of more of Him, but I'm sure there were many others who were not as apparent. At first it was rather awkward. I'm not normally the hold-both-of-my-arms-straight-up-in-the-air-during-worship kind of person, but today they went up and just wouldn't come down. (I have a lot of random thoughts about raising my arms in worship, but I'll save the rest of them for another time. I feel like there are so many purposes for it, but today it was something to help me pray for others.)

I'm not writing all this to brag at all. Seriously it's a big burden and I'm slowly learning how God wants me to use what He's sharing with me. I wake up some mornings with certain people on my mind to pray for. Some nights I am literally on my knees in my room begging God to work in peoples' lives. Some days I am in tears just thinking of what God is putting on my heart. His heart is so extraordinarily huge that just the smallest glimpse of it overwhelms me.

Before going any further, I have to admit/confess that some times I ignore it. I go on with my life without stopping to heed God's prompting. I make a conscious decision to be selfish and I hate that.

Instead, I want to become so much more like Christ that I can't help but stop and do whatever he tells me. I want to give up my agenda so that He can work. I believe that God wants that for all of us. We can and should stand up on behalf of others and hold up their hands.

Don't you want to be part of what God is doing in the lives of those around you? I'm in.