It is amazing to see what the Lord can do when we let Him work through us. I am being a little nostalgic as I ponder Living Hope’s 22nd Anniversary this next week. It has been one of the greatest opportunities in my life. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be part of a great Church and serve alongside some many wonderful people over the past 22 years.
It is interesting how time changes your perspective on things. There have been many great times through the years. We have been blessed to experience the Lord’s faithfulness again and again. We are once again in a place to launch forward into a new year on ministry. It is wonderful to see the blossoming of our congregation over the last year. It is exciting to think about what the next 12 months hold in store for Living Hope.
Reading through the book of Exodus I was reminded of the blessing of a great team. The account is when the Israelites were only a few months into their wilderness journey out of Egypt. God’s people being attacked by Amalekites on their way to the promised land. It is in the narrative of the battle we have a great illustration of team work.
Leadership is crucial to every area of life, from taking leadership in our personal lives, to family, our jobs, and even in our ministry for Jesus. The who account of the nations Exodus journey reminds of Moses’s outstanding leadership in the face of numerous significant challenges. Most of us failure with these God sized challenges that nation faced. Challenges like moving to a location with no shortage of water. This is beyond significant when consider their entourage included as marny as 2,500,000 people not counting all the livestock. We see God working in Moses the leader and in the people through each of these growth opportunities.
It was after an incident God providing water from a rock that Moses and God’s people faced the challenge mentioned earlier. This time the obstacle was a foreign military power, the Amalekites. It is in this account that we find our illustration of the importance of a great team. We learn that Joshua and his army was victorious as long as Moses kept the staff of God raised! Now, I do not know if you have ever had to keep your arms extended for a long period of time, but it is not easy. The challenges is, each time that Moses lowered his arms for some release, the Amalekites gained the battlefield advantage. We read, “But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” (Exodus 17:12) God’s classroom lesson to Moses and his team, Aaron and Hur, what on the importance of a good team. Together the team served the Lord! The nation would gain the victory that day, through God’s blessing. And it in this single sentence we too are reminded of the blessing of a team ministry!
Looking back of 22 years it has been my blessing to have many great team members holding my arms high for the Lord, during the different season of ministry. Looking forward to our great team at Living Hope I look forward to what the Lord has for us in the days ahead! Thank You!