Exodus 16-18
Key Passages/Thoughts:
Ex 17:11 - "While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed."
Surrender is defined as "to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand...to give oneself over to something as an influence." When I read these three chapters of Exodus today, there were several topics that popped in my head. In Chapter 16, we see the Israelites whining and complaining some more, but God still provided for them. Then, in chapter 17, we see God's deliverance of Israel from a battle with the Amalekites. Verse 11 of this chapter hit me like a ton of bricks. The reason it hit me like that is because Moses paints a perfect picture of what surrender looks like.
One of the things that defines me as a person is that I am a worshipper. I look for ways to understand what worship is and what it looks like. There are many different ways of worshipping, but, at the core of worship is bringing myself to a place of humility to cry out to a Living God who deserves all my praise. There are also many different signs of worship, and I believe what I read in chapter 17 is one of those signs. Moses lifted his hands to the heavens, and, when he did, Israel prevailed. When he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. When Moses showed a sign of surrender, God took that offering of humility and allowed Israel to prevail. I believe it was because in Moses' sign of surrender, God's would receive the most glory through the Israelites victory. I did a little research on the Hebrew word used here in verse 11. The Hebrew word is yadah, which means "to use (hold out) the hand; to throw (a stone or arrow) at or away; to revere or worship with extended hands." The importance here is that the word is interchangeable. In essence, Moses lifting his hands was a sign of worship and reverence toward God. When I think about lifting my hands, I think about my children. When my kids want attention and affection from me as their father, they usually come up to me with their arms lifted up. They want me to pick them up and hold them, especially when I come home from work. I am their safe place, their comfort, their protection. It is the same way with our Heavenly Father. Isn't that beautiful picture? I lift up my hands toward my Father because I want to surrender myself to Him and let Him be my refuge, my comfort, my protection. The biggest issue to overcome in worship is worrying about what others think about you when you worship. The hurdle you have to jump over is caring more about experiencing God in a new, fresh way and caring less about those surrounding you. Worship is a time to connect with our Father, and that should be the only thing on our minds. It's a lot easier said than done, I know. If we can find a way to maintain that kind of focus, then God can truly meet with us in a "burning bush" kind of way.
God, I lift my hands to You in surrender. Help me worship You with abandon and passion, because You are most glorified when I am surrendered. You are indeed worthy of yadah!
One of the things that defines me as a person is that I am a worshipper. I look for ways to understand what worship is and what it looks like. There are many different ways of worshipping, but, at the core of worship is bringing myself to a place of humility to cry out to a Living God who deserves all my praise. There are also many different signs of worship, and I believe what I read in chapter 17 is one of those signs. Moses lifted his hands to the heavens, and, when he did, Israel prevailed. When he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed. When Moses showed a sign of surrender, God took that offering of humility and allowed Israel to prevail. I believe it was because in Moses' sign of surrender, God's would receive the most glory through the Israelites victory. I did a little research on the Hebrew word used here in verse 11. The Hebrew word is yadah, which means "to use (hold out) the hand; to throw (a stone or arrow) at or away; to revere or worship with extended hands." The importance here is that the word is interchangeable. In essence, Moses lifting his hands was a sign of worship and reverence toward God. When I think about lifting my hands, I think about my children. When my kids want attention and affection from me as their father, they usually come up to me with their arms lifted up. They want me to pick them up and hold them, especially when I come home from work. I am their safe place, their comfort, their protection. It is the same way with our Heavenly Father. Isn't that beautiful picture? I lift up my hands toward my Father because I want to surrender myself to Him and let Him be my refuge, my comfort, my protection. The biggest issue to overcome in worship is worrying about what others think about you when you worship. The hurdle you have to jump over is caring more about experiencing God in a new, fresh way and caring less about those surrounding you. Worship is a time to connect with our Father, and that should be the only thing on our minds. It's a lot easier said than done, I know. If we can find a way to maintain that kind of focus, then God can truly meet with us in a "burning bush" kind of way.
God, I lift my hands to You in surrender. Help me worship You with abandon and passion, because You are most glorified when I am surrendered. You are indeed worthy of yadah!
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