MOTHERS UNITE!
As I reflected
on Pastor Mike Fields’s sermon on how Aaron and Hur placed themselves beside
Moses at the top of the hill during a significant battle and held Moses’s arms
up so that the battle was won (Exodus 17), it sent me on a thought track of how we as mothers
need to support each other more than ever before.
Moses and the
Israelites had to fight the Amalek army in Rephidim while marching through the wilderness
toward the Promised Land. Moses, Aaron
and Hur positioned themselves at the top of a hill while the Israelites fought in
the valley. Moses held the Rod of God
which represented the power of God. This
was the rod he had held that had parted the seas and the rod that had struck a
rock, sending a fountain of endless water supply from it. Talk about power!
When the battle
raged, the Israelites would be winning as long as Moses held his arms high with
the rod in his hand. If he put his arms
down, the victory would transfer to the Amalekites. Realizing this, Aaron and Hur came alongside
Moses and held his arms up when he would become weary.
The battle was fought
in the valley, but the battle was won on the hill because of the power
of God.
Our children
are in battle every day as armies of evil, worldliness, and ungodliness seek to
command and overtake their souls We as
mothers stand “on the hill” praying and warring in the Spirit. “For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
(Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
We have the
Holy Spirit as our power and hold up the Word as the rod. This Word that has healed our children’s
fevers and cancers, broken bones and broken hearts. This powerful Word has been the mainstay of
our homes during tumultuous times. God
allows us to use His Word and His Name freely and unconditionally.
We can say a prayer and quote Scriptures and have a host of
heavenly armies at our disposal. That is awesome!
However, we as
mothers become weary at times. We have committed
ourselves to Christ, have prayed and cried out in the night until our tears
have soaked our pillows, and yet our arms have gotten tired and our minds
confused. Sometimes we stand on the hill to war in
the Spirit and our faith is weak because it seems as if we are losing the
battle. But wait… here come other mothers
alongside us to hold up our arms! Together we combine our faith and prayers
and all of a sudden, the battle changes and victories are won! We need each other!
How can we “hold
up the arms” of other mothers?
1.
Be
strong in His might. Together.
Be in agreement that God is our source.
Our only source. If Aaron and Hur
would have been arguing about whether God’s power was real or not, or who was
Moses’s favorite, they would have ultimately lost the battle.
2.
Be
available. There are times when you need support and
there are other times that you need to be the support for other mothers.
3.
Know
the Word. This is our power. In this present evil day, we need to use the Word
of God against the enemy. When you know
a mother is discouraged, lift her arms with encouraging, positive words from the
Word.
4.
Pray. Make prayer a habit. Pray instead of talking. Pray instead of worrying. Intercede for the mothers who are in the heat
of the battle. Prayer releases strength straight
from the source.
5.
Stop
finding fault with other mothers.
Each one of us is trying hard and doing the best we can. Women can be so critical of each other,
especially when a mother is in battle for her children. We make statements like, “I cannot believe she
let her children do that!” “She should have grounded her!” “She should not let her kids go there.” “I bet I would not have done that with my
children.” Etc. Etc.
Instead of criticizing, we should be lifting the mothers up in prayer
(warring in the Spirit on their behalf). We must use our words to build up and not tear
down!
Together,
we can win this war that Satan has waged against our children! But we must depend on the Holy Spirit
and support each other as never before!
(And now that I am a grandmother, I realize how much I need my fellow grandmothers as well. We hold up the arms of our children, who are now the parents as we stand in the gap and intercede for our grandchildren. I appreciate the support of my friends who are grandmothers as we pray together for our families).
Zechariah
4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty –
you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.”
