Week 17 Accepting Support
We are sometimes the biggest obstacle to someone else helping us
“Accepting help doesn’t make you weak. It’s like catching your breath so you can stand up again and help others. When one person is down, the other one is up.”
Morgan L. Busse
Today’s Passage
11So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
13So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Exodus 17:11–14 (NASB95)
Background
Quotes are summarized from Wikipedia. Passage summaries are from Biblehub.com by Jay Smith, with permission. Scripture comes from LOGOS software under license.
Quote-Morgan L. Busse is the author of award-winning books published by Enclave Publishing and others. She writes from a Christian worldview presenting her stories in that light. Her main genres are fantasy and steampunk, though she has dabbled in science fiction. She currently has a new series coming out inspired by Viking lore called The Nordic Wars.
Passage- The book of Exodus consists mainly of two genres, Narrative History and Laws. It was written by Moses about 1450-1410 B.C. The key personalities include Moses, Miriam, Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s daughter, Aaron, and Joshua. It was written to record the events of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It describes the events to the reader in chronological order and also lists the Laws that God has given to the Israelites, in order to guide them in their relationship with Him.
Opening Statement
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Sometimes it is very valuable to let other people do things on their own. Some people learn best from getting their hands on things and performing the task themselves. But what about those people who truly struggle with something overwhelming that threatens to hurt them so bad they cannot hear the word of God?
Ask: What happens when you get tired but still have things to do?
Point: Sometimes you rest, but sometimes you push on through to the end. Please read the following:
28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:28–31 (NASB95)
Ask: What does that mean, “Yet those who wait for the Lord…”? What does it mean to wait for the Lord?
Point: It means quite a lot including those who wait for Jesus to return to earth. Please read the following:
7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:7–8 (NASB95)
Daniel 7:13
Ask: Who are those who wait for Jesus to return to earth?
Point: Us, followers of Christ.
Ask: So, He is coming again and God gives us strength. What do we do now?
Point: Please read the following:
1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1–2 (NASB95)
Ask: God gives us strength, and we are supposed to lay aside every encumbrance to run the race but sometimes we run out of strength or have a burden we cannot lay aside. What then?
Point: Please read the following:
1Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
5For each one will bear his own load.
Galatians 6:1–5 (NASB95)
Ask: That sounds contradictory and unrelated. Why is it not?
Point: Once again we have the flesh and the spirit intertwined. Those sins that encumber us beyond our ability to deal with them require help from those who already overcame them thanks to the leading of the Spirit.
Ask: So, what does all this have to do with me being willing to allow someone to help me?
Point: My inability to let someone assist me gets in the way of their willingness to serve someone else. Please read the following:
16How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
17The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
18Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
19It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 16:16–19 (NASB95)
Ask: Why is wisdom tied to humility in that passage?
Point: Because it is wise to know when you need help and to accept it.
Ask: How does being willing to let someone help us tie into today’s Quote?
Point: It is the understanding that when I need help, I am unable to best help someone else with my unique talents. I am tangled and encumbered.
Ask: Does that mean when I’m overwhelmed or in need of help I’m somehow bad or sinful in some thing I can’t or won’t let go of?
Point: No, other than personal pride of trying to do everything by yourself, no and not even that in many cases. It might simply mean you are in need of hope. Please read the following:
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2For by it the men of old gained approval.
3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:1–3 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
Hope is at the heart of why we quit or give up. Not that we have it, but the lack of having hope. When we help someone else we inject hope into their lives, if we do it right. When we let someone else help us, we let the serve others, which is the calling of Christ on the lives of His followers. Our inability to let others help us could mean we restrain them from exercising their gifts. We learn from doing, and in doing over and over we get better. Our opportunity for someone to help us doesn’t mean we are bad or inadequate. It could simply mean we are an exercise in someone else getting better. But, it could be something we cannot overcome on our own and don’t realize it because we’ve become entangled in something too burdensome and encumbering for us to manage on our own.
Tasks for the Week
Task 1 Sit down and look at all the things you have going on you can’t seem to get taken care of.
Task 2 Pray about those things from Task 1.
Task 3 Think about all those people you are close to who have shared troubles or problems with you recently.
Task 4 If someone wanted to help you with something from Task 1, consider the approach you would be most receptive to in allowing someone to help you.
Task 5 Think about how you might employ the approach you would best respond to in helping someone else.
Definitions
All definitions come from Dictionary.com
All Greek entries are from James Strong as listed in the LOGOS software attributed as WORDSearch 2020
Encumbrance
[ en-kuhm-bruhns ]
noun
1. Something that encumbers; something burdensome, useless, or superfluous; burden; hindrance:
Poverty was a lifelong encumbrance.
2. A dependent person, especially a child.
3. Law. a burden or claim on property, as a mortgage.
Entangle
[ en-tang-guhl ]
verb (used with object)
entangled, entangling.
1. To make tangled; ensnarl; intertwine.
2. To involve in or as in a tangle; ensnare; enmesh:
to be entangled by intrigue.
3. To involve in difficulties.
4. To confuse or perplex.
Synonyms: bewilder