The Importance of Teamwork
But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. (Exodus 17:12-13 NKJV)
This is such a wonderful picture of teamwork. Israel still hadn’t stopped complaining about their situation (Ex 16:3), Moses was at his wits end and the Amalekites had come to fight with Israel in Rephidim. Moses, however had a plan. He sent out mighty Joshua with some men to fight them while he (Moses) stood at the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield with the rod of God raised in the air. As long as Moses kept his hands up, Joshua prevailed. But Moses got tired.
Moses got tired and his friends Aaron and Hur picked him up. They knew the importance of Moses’ task, saw his need, and jumped in to help. Yes, God was in the rod and was ultimately the source of Moses’ power, but a rod on the ground did not victory make. Let’s keep focused on the human aspect this time.
We can help others or ask for help in a variety of ways. We can pray or be prayed for. We can roll up our sleeves to help or ask a competent friend to do that with us. Together we can definitely accomplish more than we can alone. Sometimes one plus one does equal three. Whose “arms” can you lift up today?
Dear Father, I thank you for the support of those people you have put in my life who take the time to pray for me and support me when I am weak. Thank you for your wisdom and your provision and for your persistent care for me. Help me to see where I can be helpful to someone in need so that I can assist them in your will as Aaron and Hur helped Moses. To you be the glory. Amen.
Note: This is a repost from my personal blog. Since the topic of teamwork keeps coming up in my own life, I thought I’d share here in the hope that someone might be encouraged to reach out to someone who needs their help. We are all on this journey of life together.
Dear Janna,
I love your thoughts this morning. When my husband was alive- we really enjoyed serving the Lord- and did so together as a team. Now- as a widow with five children- I have had to learn how to ask for help. For me- that has been a very difficult thing to do– mostly because pride gets in the way! A dear friend of mine had to remind me early on that when I refused to ask others for help– I was in fact robbing them of a blessing.
Thank you for your devotional thoughts today.
I really appreciate them!
Blessings,
Julia
Ps- please “enter me”
Thanks for sharing this morning – I think this passage is such a beautiful picture of how God intends for us to work together. I love to be reminded of it because I so often have a hard time asking for help, but this passage reminds me that it’s what He wants me to do. Thanks for the reminder this morning!
Please enter me!
How thankful I am for friends who come alongside and support me in my seasons of weakness. I am blessed to be part of such sacred fortification.
peace~elaine
please “enter me”
Janna – you are right. There are many ways we can support others – emotionally and physically. That is why God places the people around us that He has.
Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts on teamwork.
Lord,
I ask that you send people to walk beside the ones who feel alone.
I also pray that you would unite your body for your service. That we
would be one in heart and purpose…the purpsoe being you, your Kingdom and your glory.
Please enter me
Thank you!
Yes, we need the support and help of others, but quite often we do not see it or ask. I think it is easier to help others than to ask for help ourselves. This is a GREAT illistration, showing both sides, and how sometimes it IS GOD”S WAY!
Please ENTER ME!
one plus one = three
oh, man I pray i remember that this day! thanks for the great post!
also, please enter me again 🙂
The Lord has blessed me with people to pray for me in my seasons of weakness. Some were close friends and family; others were brothers and sisters in Christ whom I have yet to meet. I am so thankful for the christian web links offered by radio stations and ministries who offer to come along side of people to pray and encourage. Their obedience has blessed me and has taught me how to do the same for those in need.
Thank you for your ministry!
Please enter me.
Great thoughts Janna! I am so grateful to be a part of a “team” with you this year! Have a great Spring Break!
Kelley
Please enter me in the contest!
I want to make a comment that I wonder if anyone else can or does relate with. It seems that once we experience a profound weakness in our life, the enemy of our soul is all to eager to skew our thinking in other areas. For me, emotional dependency on friends led me to feel leaning on others and looking to them for help and support was forbidden territory. Every time I “gave in” to asking I felt I was doing something wrong. It has taken a long time to see the lie behind this thinking and I am presently on the road to freedom. I was recently thinking of Moses being helped by these two men. The Bible is full of such examples. God’s heart includes a desire for us to be His hands to each other. May He continue to drive that lesson home to me until I walk in the freedom and joy of it all.
Janna,
This is awesome. This example of Aaron and Hur. All of us need friends like this and we need to be friends like this. Wonderful
A great picture of God’s provision of help.
Thank you.
Please enter me.
This is one of my favorite stories. If we all had two such people in our lives to hold us up when we can’t go on. The only one we can truly depend on is God. When we fall we need to look toward him for strength and endurance. When he Blesses us with those that will hold us up in prayer it is so sweet and brings such peace. Thank you for reminding me to be a woman of God and being there for my sisters in Christ.
“enter me”
I LOVE this story! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this illustration today. I will be passing this link on to my “Aaron and Hur” friends.
Thank you,
Vickie
(please enter me today)
Oh, how timely! Just today, our small group was decorator/takedown crew for the wedding of two of our members. I guess that was teamwork!
Please enter me today.
Thank you for this post. Next time I am hesitant to ask for help, I will remember this and Julia’s comment about not robbing someone else of their blessing.
Please ENTER ME today, thanks!
Dear Jana,
thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was just reading on Ecc 4:12 that to summarized teamwork and friendship.
Please enter me.
eileen
In response to Pam:
I too have experienced similarly in my life. My need for approval and acceptance was my weakness and it was disguised through my co-dependecy in my relationships. Until the past three years when I realized Satan’s attack on that area of my life; and it became exposed. My wounds were first exposed, than revealed and than healed. And the very relationships that infiltred unhealthy co-dependancy were used in that healing process. Praise God!!! Thanks for the transparency in your response.
Eileen
Oh my word I forgot to ENTER ME yesterday! Please forgive.
Great post today and thanks so much.
ENTER ME today!
V
Such lovely thoughts sweetie.
Thanks much Eileen. The loss of a significant relationship is what God used to show me how deeply embedded this issue was in me. It has been the most difficult thing I have ever walked through. I praise God for the two individuals He is using in a powerful way to help me find truth, wholeness, and healing. I am not THERE yet but I praise Him for what progress has been made.
Pam
My family has a magnet on our refrigerator from Hawaii that says
‘A’ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia.
It means: No task is too big when done by all.
With God’s help all things are possible!!!!
Have a blessed day!!
Rachel
~~~~~~Please Enter Me~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Praise God, Who ALWAYS gives us what/who we need when we need it/them!!! He is so awesome, it blows me away. And He continues to put the people we need in our lives to help us through those tough times, to hold us up. Praise God!!
In HIS grip,
Sherry
PS, please enter me!
What an inspirational message! Lifting each other up and helping in any way we can.
Thanks,
Denise
Enter me again.
My candle has been lit by so many friends, I need to remember to pass that on to others. I pray that God will direct into the paths of those whose candle may not be lit or whose candle has been blown out by some struggle that they are gong through.
Thanks for the reminder of being a team member for our Lord and be that blessing to someone else.
Blessings,
Kris
please enter me
These past few weeks, the church has focused on the journey that we are all on TOGETHER – through believing, belonging and blessing. No one has the journey mapped out perfectly. No one’s journey is exactly the same. It’s not a race to beat anyone else, but rather it’s a fellowship of believers in all walks of life (or church names) coming together to encourage, bless, accept and help each other until we meet with God.
I love that you’ve included teamwork in this idea, Janna. God made us to be a social people and although one can go it alone to meet God, it’s just so much more enjoyable when you have friends with you along the way.
Enter me please.
This is a blessed truth Janna. I can’t express how much it means to me to know that someone is praying for me – or how a word of encouagement can lift my spirits.