Somebody To Lean On

“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)

Someone very dear to me is in the fight of her life … she’s wrestling with her belief in God and searching to know with certainty that Scripture is true. She’s fighting for her faith. Watching from the sidelines is difficult to endure for me. But the battle is one that only she can combat.

I love her so much and want to jump in the ring with my fighting gloves and slay the enemy. As one who came out victorious from the same struggle of my own, I long to bottle the knowledge I learned and give it to her. Handing my wisdom and faith to her would surely spare her the agony associated with a fight for faith in the Lord.

Watching the conflict as a bystander is arduous. But while I watch, I pray. And through prayer I am reminded of two men in the Bible who stood by their friend Moses in battle.

Moses sent Joshua into battle to fight an army of their enemies. While Joshua and the men waged war, Moses stood on top of the mountain holding his staff over the valley. Joshua and his men were victorious as long as Moses held the staff up. When Moses lowered the staff, their enemies gained on them.

Moses’ friends, Aaron and Hur, followed him up the mountain. They saw the pressure and agony Moses experienced as he held the staff. With compassion, these men pushed a large rock under Moses for him to rest upon. Then, in a selfless act of love and friendship, they each held up one of Moses’ arms as he held the staff high.

They could not hold the staff for Moses but they could stand with him through the long battle.

They filled in the gap created by Moses’ weakness with the strength of their faith.

This story challenged me to change my position from a bystander to that of a gap-stander. A bystander is an onlooker who watches, but does not to get involved.

A gap-stander has empathy and takes action, using the strength of her faith to help the fighter stand until victory comes. A gap-stander is someone the one in battle can lean on.

Are you watching someone you care about fight for faith, whether in God, for healing, restoration of a marriage, or something else? Do you feel helpless?

We cannot give our faith to our loved ones or fight for them, but we can stand with them and support them as they fight to have their own faith.

The job of the gap-stander isn’t easy, but it is a place of honor. Gap-standers are committed to encouragement, prayer, and spiritual and practical support. As we watch the battle rage, we also share in and observe God’s great work and their victory. Who can you stand in the gap for today?

Dear Lord, someone I love is fighting and is tired. Will You show me how I can help? I choose to change positions from a bystander to a gap-stander. Help me have patience and be compassionate as I stand in the gap. I praise You for the victory that awaits for my loved one. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

4 Comments

  1. Thank you Wendy for this reminder! It came at just the perfect time. I had just asked the Lord how I could teach the next generation about Him and “standing in the gap” hit me straight in my heart! Have a blessed day and prayers for you as you stand with your friend.

  2. This really hit home for me. I have been in a battle for my faith for 4 years now and lately it’s been about the worst it’s ever been with me wondering if God is really real. I don’t even know what made me click on this email in my inbox this morning as I am at a point where I had put all things “Christian” aside. I have been filled with doubt in things I once believed wholeheartedly. It’s been a very lonely place. I can see how having a gap-stander would be such a blessing. Those whom I have shared my struggle with say “I will pray for you” but honestly sometimes I have felt like what I truly hoped for was someone to actively help in some practical tangible way- to talk to me, text me a song, email me…just something. I don’t want to sound like I don’t appreciate the prayers, because I most definitely do! Especially when I feel like I can’t even pray anymore myself. But I love how in this story we see Moses’s friends actively standing with him and holding his arms- not, like Wendy pointed out- just standing by looking on. Thank you Wendy.

    1. God is real! Here’s the lyrics of a song by Johnny Cash.
      Verse 1]
      There are some things I may not know
      There are some places I can’t go
      But I am sure of this one thing
      My God is real for I can feel Him in my soul

      [Chorus]
      My God is real, real in my soul
      My God is real for He has washed and made me whole
      His love for me is like pure gold
      My God is real for I can feel Him in my soul

      [Verse 2]
      Some folks may doubt, some folks may scorn
      Well, they can all go on, just leave me alone
      But ask for me, I’ll take God’s part
      My God is real for I can feel Him in my heart

      [Chorus]
      You tube the song if you want to hear it. Music often speaks to me.
      Feel free to email me any time. I’ll try my best to be that girlfriend that stands by and holds your hand. Because trust me once you experience God you’ll never want to turn back. God is always near and guess what? He’s just waiting for you, with out stretched arms to take his hand too.

  3. I love the idea of a gap-stander. It’s a wise line between doing nothing and trying to be someone’s savior. So much wisdom in this article! I really enjoyed reading it.

Comments are closed.