"And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
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."
Exodus 17:11-12
We read often about prophets who did amazing things. This is one of them, as are Noah's ark, the Brother of Jared's barges, Nephi's ship, Moses and the Red Sea, Nephi (a different one) identifying the murderer of Seantum, David and Goliath, the fiery furnace, the lion's den, being swallowed by a whale, escaping death in many ways... and what I was thinking today as I read this, is why God involved them at all. Why prophets, when God could do his own works? There was no need to invest Moses's arms with the power to dictate the outcome of battle, right? If God said that they would win, they would win. So why?
I think the answer is, as it almost always is, that we have something to learn from all of this. God gives us prophets, as least in part, to show us an example of Godliness a lot more in reach to us than God's example is. We can work on being like Nephi and work our way up to being like Christ... one leading always to the other. The children of Israel couldn't bear God's presence, but they could follow Moses. Maybe part of it is what we are ready for, but I think another part is also to show us that normal people *can* do it. They can follow God, they can succeed, they can become righteous and great at the same time. In a world where all of the conventional role models seem to leave something to be desired, God offers us our own. Heroes that we can look to, that believe what we believe, and who are true to God's way.
As we strive to do God's will in our own lives, our hands, like Moses' hands, will sometimes be heavy, but working through us rather than just doing it himself allows God to teach us, and help us grow stronger. He knows that sometimes we are going to need people to lift up our hands, but he isn't fighting the battle just to win... he is fighting the battle for us, to teach us how to prevail against the darkness and the enemies of our souls. Today, let's listen, and learn, and thank God for the lessons and examples that he sends us, and for the hope and the confidence it can bring to our lives, as we follow God's plan and learn his way.
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."
Exodus 17:11-12
We read often about prophets who did amazing things. This is one of them, as are Noah's ark, the Brother of Jared's barges, Nephi's ship, Moses and the Red Sea, Nephi (a different one) identifying the murderer of Seantum, David and Goliath, the fiery furnace, the lion's den, being swallowed by a whale, escaping death in many ways... and what I was thinking today as I read this, is why God involved them at all. Why prophets, when God could do his own works? There was no need to invest Moses's arms with the power to dictate the outcome of battle, right? If God said that they would win, they would win. So why?
I think the answer is, as it almost always is, that we have something to learn from all of this. God gives us prophets, as least in part, to show us an example of Godliness a lot more in reach to us than God's example is. We can work on being like Nephi and work our way up to being like Christ... one leading always to the other. The children of Israel couldn't bear God's presence, but they could follow Moses. Maybe part of it is what we are ready for, but I think another part is also to show us that normal people *can* do it. They can follow God, they can succeed, they can become righteous and great at the same time. In a world where all of the conventional role models seem to leave something to be desired, God offers us our own. Heroes that we can look to, that believe what we believe, and who are true to God's way.
As we strive to do God's will in our own lives, our hands, like Moses' hands, will sometimes be heavy, but working through us rather than just doing it himself allows God to teach us, and help us grow stronger. He knows that sometimes we are going to need people to lift up our hands, but he isn't fighting the battle just to win... he is fighting the battle for us, to teach us how to prevail against the darkness and the enemies of our souls. Today, let's listen, and learn, and thank God for the lessons and examples that he sends us, and for the hope and the confidence it can bring to our lives, as we follow God's plan and learn his way.
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