Arms Held High

This week I was reading about Moses. He's one of my favorite people in the bible because of all he went through and how he was redeemed to be used for God's glory. I've read the stories of Moses many times, but this week one of his stories hit me differently. In Exodus 17:8-15, the story of the Amalekites being defeated is told. In order for the Israelite's to win the battle, Moses had to stay focused and in a state of surrender. With his arms held high and opened wide, the battle was all in God's hands.

There are two beautiful realizations about this story. The first is that in order for God to fight for us, we must first surrender ourselves. Raising our hands towards heaven is a state of surrender that tells God we need him. It's an invitation for God to have control. In that moment, Moses wasn't trying to fight the Amalekites himself or trying to control the situation. He was fully surrendering all to God and trusting him to fight for him. How beautiful! I think often times we try to control situations ourselves or co-pilot with God. The problem with that is there can't be two drivers. We can't be in control and also want God to be in control because we will always try to steer God towards our own agenda (whether we realize it or not). Instead of driving forward, we will end up in circles. We have to first surrender our everything to God so he can gracefully guide us to his promises for us and his kingdom.

The second realization in this story is having a godly support system. Moses had the right people by his side holding him up in a moment of weakness (literally). As Moses grew weak in his state of surrender and his arms began to fall, he had people to count on to hold him steady. Aaron and Hur supported Moses' arms and prevented him from giving up. What amazing friends to have! He had a support system to encourage him and help him when he was giving his all to God. They helped push him even closer to God by holding up his arms when he felt like he couldn't do it anymore. 

I'm so thankful for the friends that I've found here in Birmingham. When I moved here, I barely knew anyone and I had just begun my relationship over again with God. I had fully surrendered to him for the first time in my life and was learning what it looked like to have a real relationship with God and not just know him through religion. As I learned the importance of surrender, I had to let go of some people who were great, but weren't pushing me closer to God. It was hard and it was lonely to let go. But as I prayed for God to send me good, godly friends - he went above and beyond. I've been blessed to find some of the best friends of my life in the past two years. God divinely placed these people in my life. These women of God push me closer to Jesus and encourage me through all the ups and downs of life. I know that I can count on them and trust them. I know they are always here for me and that we are bringing out the best in each other.

It's so important to surround ourselves with the right people. There's a saying that I've heard many times...show me your friends and I'll show you your future. It's also said that you become like those who you spend your time with the most. I'm not sure about you, but I want an Aaron and Hur on my side. I want to surround myself with people who will help support me when I'm weak. It's vital to have people in your life that push you down the right path and push you to be a better you. So I ask these questions- who is your Aaron and Hur? Who do you have holding you up? Do you have a group of people who are pushing you in the right direction? Do you need to surrender anything to God?

I want to encourage you to find the answers to those questions and have the courage to find those people who will help you be a better version of yourself. I found those people through small groups at my church. I went in not knowing a single person and left with incredible lifelong friends. I want to encourage you to be brave and take a risk of finding those people to support you. Trust that God has awesome people he wants to bring into your life and trust that God has an amazing plan for your life.