Daily Devo

Hands Lifted High

By: Lisa Boisvert

Friday, February 27, 2026

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 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 17:11-12

In life, we will face many challenges that we can't do alone. We'll need some help... The secular world tells us to be independent and take pride in our abilities, but is this what God teaches? Are we meant to do everything alone? Does God want us to "do it ourselves" and take pride in our accomplishments?

The best place to find answers to life’s biggest questions is the Bible. Moses was a mighty man of God, but he couldn't do everything by himself. In the battle described in our opening verses (Exodus 17:11-12) many lives depended on Moses. To win, Moses knew that he needed to hold his staff above his head. Lowering his staff meant defeat. That day, Moses' staff symbolized the power of God. There is a lesson for all of us in that story.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

The lesson we must learn is to depend on God in all situations. Moses' staff symbolized God's power, and when he raised it, it meant the Lord was fighting for them. If the staff was lowered, the Israelites were fighting in their own power and started losing.

Have you ever held anything above your head for any length of time? If you have, it doesn't take long for your arms to get weak. Moses wanted to hold up his arms, but in his own power, he failed. God knew this would happen, and it was the second part of the lesson He was teaching them. To win the battle, Moses needed Aaron and Hur's help. When his arms were tired, they helped him lift his staff high. If Moses was prideful and refused their help, the battle would have been lost.

What about you? Are you willing to set aside your pride? Are you willing accept help from your brothers and sisters in Christ? The world says, "do it by yourself", but God used Moses to model teamwork for us. When people around us are weak or struggling, we must lift them up!

Christ follower, lift your hands high, and let the Lord fight your battles. If you get tired, allow your friends to help. Then thank the Lord for teaching you His ways!