Hands Up

"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."  Exodus 17:12 (NIV)

Destruction.  Devastation.  Disaster.  This weekend has seen its fair share of events with all of these words.  Hurricane Florence made landfall around Thursday/Friday.  Since then, it has been wreaking havoc on the East Coast, leaving a trail of ruin and death.  As we watched the news, we were seeing how people were preparing for this catastrophic event.  People from around the country were going towards the area in order to help and assist.  With all the negative that surrounds a situation like that, it always warms my heart to know that people continue to help people.

Those of us in New England were also struck with destruction this past weekend.  The towns of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence, Massachusetts, were struck by gas explosions in homes.  Unfortunately, this event could not have been prepared for and the scene looked, as someone explained, like Armageddon.  These were not a string of homes in a row that were effected, but seventy random homes throughout these three towns.  Evacuations began swiftly, but death and destruction also resulted.  

Both of these situations left me wondering, "What can be done, what can we do, what can I do?"  I remembered this story from the Bible, and it brought me to a solution.  In Exodus 17, we find the Israelites at war against the Amalekites.  Joshua was ordered by Moses to engage in this battle, and Moses, Aaron and Hur would go to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses had his hands lifted up, Joshua and the Israelites were winning.  When his hand lowered, they would lose.  Therefore, Aaron and Hur helped raise Moses' hands for victory for all.

It made me think of what we can do for all those effected by this terrible destruction.  It is time to be Aaron and Hur, to lift up the hands of those who are hurting!  As these people face overwhelming circumstances, they may feel defeated, as Moses was feeling when his hands were lowered.  Help by holding up the hands of those around us.  May we give them the will to fight and win - to overcome the devastation with hope and peace.  There are many ways we can help lift our hands up.

• The quickest response is to lift all those effected up in prayer.  Ask our Dear Lord to provide for all those who are dealing with such trials.
• Get on websites and find out what the needs are for people.  If we all give a little, the amount will be great.
• The Red Cross is accepting donations for both situations.  Hop onto their website for details.
• Ban together with others and donate a couple of hours to help those that need help - revitalizing their homes

It is hard to watch people go through these situations.  Let us be their Aaron and Hur - let us lift up their hands in victory.  Our Lord will always give us the strength that is needed.  

Heavenly Father, we reach out to you for help.  So many need help right now.  They need to feel your loving arms around them.  They need to feel OUR loving arms lifting their hands up in victory.  Please provide to all those in need.  Give them strength and courage to live another day in you.  Help us to see how we can share the gifts you have given us to provide hope.  In your loving name we pray, Amen!