I’m soooooo Tired!!!

Exodus 17: 11-12, “As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset” (NLT).

Israel was at war with the Amalekites. In fact, the Bible records that it was the Amalekites that started the fight. In order to encourage, support and motivate the soldiers, Moses told Joshua that he would stand at the top of the nearby hill, holding the rod of God. And the Bible also records that whenever Moses raised his hands with the rod, Israel prevailed over Amalek; but whenever he was tired and brought down his hand, Amalek triumphed over Israel. Moses’ tiredness meant defeat for the soldiers of Israel. His tiredness put a lot of destinies at risk.

Whether we believe it or not, we are at war. The ‘Amalekites’ around us are not just physical. They are ‘lighting’ mental, emotional, social, spiritual, etc, fires all around us. In Ephesians 6:12, the Bible makes us to understand that we are not fighting ‘against flesh and blood’. So, this is not a regular war. It is a planned provocative and intensely sustained conflict to muscle and destroy who we are, what we stand for, and our constituencies. It is important for us to understand this in order to recognize the ‘attackers’ modus operandi – to pound you until you are tired and then finish you off!

I’ve met a lot of teenagers in recent years who have said to me, “I’m soooooo tired”. And I’m like, “Tired? Of what?” They quickly respond, “Of everrrything. Notice the drag on the significant words. By the time we sit down to talk, they are tired of fighting with their parents and siblings; they are tired of school (especially if they are not doing well or are being bullied); they are tired of being harassed physically and sexually; they are tired of being accused, judged and rejected; they are tired of so much violence in the land, the addiction to alcohol and drugs (having lost friends and loved ones already); they are tired of listening to so much bad news as Breaking News; and much more. And their reaction to this condition ranges from moaning about it to committing suicide.

In our Bible story today, you can see that Satan orchestrates the situations that lead to our ‘tiredness’. There was Israel going about their regular lives when Amalek ‘started’ the fight. Why he can’t just let us be beats the imagination of a lot of us. Satan knew that provoking the people of Israel to a fight will get an expected response – their soldiers would fight back. He knew that Moses had this ‘much-talked-about’ rod; the power of that rod and the significance of raising that rod. And we can see from the scenario – whenever Moses kept the rod lifted up, Amalek were at the losing end. But Moses is human, susceptible to human failings such as being tired, hungry, thirsty, frustrated, afraid, worried, angry, etc, and the devil counted on this to happen. And it happened. Moses may have manifested some or even all of these emotions as he beheld Israel’s defeat whenever he gave in to ‘tiredness’.

But glory be to God that this situation did not last for long. Aaron and Hur, companions of Moses, watched the unfolding situation with unease. They knew the danger and the consequences of defeat by Amalek. They understood the humanity factor affecting the spiritual results of the war and they also knew that they had to find a unique solution. So, they arranged for Moses to sit on a stone while they held up his hand. The rest, as they say, is history (Exodus 17:13).

As we journey through our Christian race, there are many orchestrated battles along the way. They all have one mission… to stop our mission. In so doing, the plan of our ‘attacker’ is not only to terminate our destiny but those of so many others that we have impacted or will impact upon. I call them our constituency. They include a lot of the people that make us ‘sooooo tired’ already. The ‘attacker’ is banking on getting us weary and in that state, renders us powerless and puts our constituency in a vulnerable position. So, when we get tired in our place of divine assignment, some people will suffer for it; when we fight with our family, friends and loved ones all the time, everyone becomes miserable; when we are frustrated with school because of bad grades, we announce that we do not value education; when we give in to bullies, we send the word out that bad behaviour wins; when we cease to be prayerful, we leave many in a bad situation without intercession; when we turn away from living a pure and sanctified life, many souls reading us as their Bible might just ‘fall by the wayside’. Our tiredness is a danger to our constituency, even to generations unborn.

Some people are depending on our prayers to succeed; some people will fail if we fail; some people will get things wrong if we don't set the right example; some destinies will experience stagnation if we cannot offer words of life and power. Our tiredness has too many implications for others.

Nehemiah 4:10 says: “And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall”.

In summary, that verse is telling us, “If your strength is decayed, you won’t be able to build the walls that God will have you build, and others won’t achieve the victory that God positioned you to help them achieve”.

So, today, let us reject every kind, style and nature of weakness and tiredness in our lives. We must return to the place of prayer, consecration and spiritual strength. We must cry to God, like Prophet Isaiah did in Isaiah 35:3 and plead with God to: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees”.

The devil would never want Moses to lift up that rod. He knew that Moses had Aaron and Hur to help him but he was also counting on the limit of their strength and commitment. But the devil did not bargain for the divine wisdom that guided the idea of the stone for Moses to sit on while his hands will be held in an upright position by his escorts.

What is the rod in your own hand? Where is it? Right beside you or kept far away? Is it available ‘in season and out of season’? Is it powerful to “to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments? To destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God? Will it capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5)?

Who are your companions? Amos 3:3 asks a very poignant question, “Can two people walk together except they agree”? Are you in agreement on the fundamentals of life and the direction you desire to go? Will your friends tend toward divine wisdom at any given time or rely on family, other friends, wealth, status and connections? Are our friends assets to our Christian journey or liabilities?

Do we know our constituency? What are their wants, needs, desires, fears, worries, joys and hopes? What role have we been given to impact their lives? I learnt something last weekend – that my job may not necessarily be to make someone happy every time. It could be to provoke a person to amend. Imagine standing up to that notorious bully, no matter how bruised you’ve been. Imagine that you prefer to go offer your day volunteering at a charity endeavour rather than frolicking with your friends. Imagine that you decide to spend more time studying while reducing your extra-curricular activities. Imagine that your prayer points are focused less on you and your needs but more on the plight of the poor, the sick, the suffering, the oppressed, the discouraged, the frustrated, etc. Imagine that you could be saving a life!

I found a poignant quote recently, “You cannot control what the world throws at you but you can certainly, control how your reaction to them”. That is why I am asking you to please declare with me: I refuse to grow weary. I will not succumb to tiredness. The Lord will send help to me in my time of need. My spiritual strength must increase, in Jesus’ name.