Holding Up the Pastor's Hands

Holding Up the Pastor's Hands

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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Exodus 17:8-14
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

Amalek came out to fight against Israel, and Moses sent Joshua to choose out men and go out and fight, while Moses would go up on the hill with Aaron and Hur and hold the rod of God in his hand.

As long as Moses could hold his hand up with the rod of God, the enemy was not able to prevail against Israel. But when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

Now, Moses had this rod in his hand. It wasn't just any rod; it was the rod of God. And as long as he lifted the rod with his hand, the enemy had no power over Israel; they could not prevail against them.

But as Moses' hand became very heavy, Aaron and Hur got a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on either side of Moses, holding up his hands. Because of this, Israel was able to prevail over the enemy.

Not too many can hold their hand up for long before their arm becomes weak and tired.

Holding Up Your Leadership

You can take a spiritual lesson from this passage of Scripture: You need to hold up the leadership in your church, holding up their hands in the battle. There are ways you can do this, and we want to look at these ways in this message.

Church Attendance

First of all, you can be very faithful to attend church and be on time. There are times when something can turn up that can cause you to be a little late. You never know what may happen when you're getting ready to come to church, but you don't want to make it a habit of always being late. It's not uplifting to the pastor when you're always dragging yourself in after the service has begun.

If you have to take a bus, there may be those times when the bus is late, and that's not in your control. But you should make it a point to be on time for church as much as possible.

When new people attend the service, you need to be there on time, rather than dragging yourself in late. Don't rebel and do just as you please, just as you're accustomed to doing in being late.

This is a way to hold up your pastor's hands, making it a lot easier to conduct the service. This is also a way to hold up the song leader's hands. Some make it a habit to come to church after the song service is over or when the prayer meeting is almost over.

This isn't the way God wants His people to be. He wants to move in the services, and He wants you to be there — on time. The Lord is going to be right on time at the moment of His return. He tells us to be found ready, watching and waiting. If we're not in His time schedule, we could miss His coming, because we didn't take the time to be ready to meet Him.

Church Attentiveness

Another way we can help hold up the leadership's hands is entering in to the service: singing and praising the Lord, listening to the message and responding to it, praying during prayer time, having a testimony to give when it's testimony time.

Before coming to church, take time to be prepared, praying that you can be a blessing in the service. Stand up and give a testimony when it's testimony time. There are so many things we can thank and praise the Lord for in our testimonies: that He went to the cross for our sins; that He gives us strength and encouragement from His Word; that He meets our needs; that we are in the house of God, a place where we can sit and hear the Word of God ministered to us.

When we come to the house of God, we should all be of one mind and one accord in the unity of the Spirit.

Not only should we be ready to give a testimony but also to really enter in to the song service, to lift our voices in praise and worship. It's not a matter of wanting others to listen to you praise God, but of lifting your voice on high to praise and glorify God. These are praises given to Him; and when we praise Him, the anointing of the Holy Spirit can move to touch hearts and meet needs.

The devil would want to stop this, to discourage, to hinder the move of God. He will do everything he can to discourage God's people and to discourage the leadership. And if he succeeds, then church will just be a routine: without the moving of the Holy Spirit, without the joy of the Lord uplifting and encouraging God's people.

Words of Encouragement

You can encourage the leadership in letting them know how the ministry has helped you in your walk with the Lord. Recently, I received a letter from someone who had gotten saved under our ministry and went on to serve the Lord down through the years.

Proverbs 25:25
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

That note greatly encouraged me in the midst of a trial. As I read it, I began to cry. Everybody doesn't understand what it is to be in the front lines as a pastor. There's a strong force from Satan against those who are in leadership over God's people.

Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

This is why many ministers have given up pastoring. The fight of the adversary against their preaching the truth is great. He tries to put a stop to any and all who will stand for the truth in their ministry. Thank God for those who do stand firm in preaching the truth.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

I thank God for those words of encouragement that came to me from far away. I realize that each of us has trials and troubles in our lives. The Word tells us to expect such.

It's not that I think I'm the only one who faces hard trials, the only one who has troubles. But a pastor's troubles aren't the same as those that come along to everyone as they go through this life. Pastors face a spiritual warfare against their ministry, against their ministering to God's people the truth of His Word. The devil fights the truth, ever trying to silence God's ministers. He tries to wipe the Word of God out of the church.

And many ministers succumb to his tactics. They can't stand up under the pressure. And, believe me, there are pressures and oppositions when you are preaching the Word of God. The pressures of hell fight against the leadership, attempting to silence them.

Most don't understand this spiritual warfare the leadership faces. They think the ministry is a life of ease. But this fight is hard to go through.

When I received that note letting me know that the ministry had blessed them over the years as they received the Word of God through the messages, it caused me to cry: thanking God that I have been counted worthy to deliver His Word to His people.

Yet, there are many who sit under the preaching of God's Word who can't receive the messages. It's too much.

If they would but obey the Word of God as they heard it preached, it would make an impact on their lives and their walk with the Lord. But many have greasy ears: They hear the Word preached in one ear, and it goes right out the other ear.

II Timothy 4:3-5
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Now, while Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands as he held the rod of God, Israel prevailed.

Holding up the hands of the leadership. If you do that, the church can prevail over Satan. He will no longer be able to prevail and hinder the services, hinder the move of God in church.

Don't Grieve the Holy Spirit

I Thessalonians 5:19
Quench not the Spirit.

What does it mean to quench the Spirit of God? It means to resist the Holy Spirit, resisting when God speaks to us through His Word to deal and work in our lives. Never say "no" to the Spirit of God.

Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

We should never push away, ignore or reject the Holy Spirit. When we hear the Word of God being preached, and it speaks to us and we don't obey, then we are pushing away, ignoring, and rejecting the Holy Spirit.

How is the Holy Spirit going to move if we reject His influence in our services?

Ephesians 4:22-32
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Paul speaks here of how we can be guilty of pushing away and grieving the Holy Spirit. We are told that even though we are sealed until the day of redemption, we are to put away these evil things and yield to the Spirit. Think about it: Paul is acknowledging that these evil thoughts and actions are temptation even to those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

There's a warning to us here, and we need to take it to heart: Let us not push away the Holy Spirit; let us not ignore the Holy Spirit; let us not reject the moving of the Holy Spirit. When we do, we are grieving Him. And never say "no" to the Holy Spirit when He is dealing with you.

When the Holy Spirit is dealing, don't say that you don't have to listen. Don't say that you're going to do it your way, regardless. Remember that you are dealing with God Almighty. You may think you're just dealing with the leadership — that you're just coming against the pastor — but when you reject the Word of God and His dealings, that's between you and God. You will have to answer to Him concerning your attitudes towards the preaching of His Word.

Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Pastors have to obey God or they will be chastised by God. If they don't preach the pure Word of God without compromise — telling it like it is — they have to answer to God.

This is the ministry the Lord has given them, and they have to do what He has called them to do.

II Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Whether people like it or whether they don't, the pastor has to deliver the Word of God. Maybe some don't like the way the pastor preaches under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but that's between them and God.

I Corinthians 2:4,5
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Sometimes when the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes upon a preacher as they are preaching, their voices rise. This is not because they're yelling at you, but because they are preaching under the anointing of the Spirit.

Move Forward in God

Deuteronomy 2:1-3
Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

The Lord wants His people to go forward. He wants His church to move on. But many times they haven't done that. They are still encompassing the mountain. They need to turn from that mountain and be in the place of cooperating, saying "yes" to the Holy Spirit: Stop pushing Him aside; stop ignoring Him; stop rejecting what He has to say. Yes, they need to stop grieving the Holy Spirit.

It's time to follow the Holy Spirit and move on, moving forward in order to be about what God has really called them to do. God knows exactly what He wants for His church in this day and hour. He has a plan and a purpose, wanting His people to move forward into the move of God.

We need to come out of that rut. We need to stop compassing this mountain. It's a big mountain to a pastor when the people he has been put over refuse to yield to the Spirit of God, refuse to obey God's Word, refuse to move on.

Many pastors have trials over this. They really pray about it time after time, praying for each one in their flock that God would really move in their lives, that they would be willing to yield to the Lord in obedience.

They might think they're obeying the Lord, but, many times, they're not really doing what He would tell them to do: and, thus, are not obeying the influence of the Holy Spirit. They are grieving the Spirit.

Exodus 14:13-14
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Red Sea. When the Egyptians pursued after them, the Lord told Moses what to do. He told him to tell the children of Israel to go forward.

How could they do this? The Red Sea was before them! But the Lord said to tell the children of Israel to go forward, even though the Red Sea was before them and the enemy was pursuing behind them.

Exodus 14:15-18
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

The Lord told Moses to lift up his rod and divide the sea, and the children of Israel would cross over on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

What if they didn't move forward as the Lord had told them to do? What if they disobeyed the Lord's instructions? What would have happened to them? The enemy would have destroyed them!

And that's what the enemy wants to do to you and me. He wants to destroy God's people. He is working on that all the time. But so many of God's people can't see this.

Ephesians 6:12,13
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Our enemy is Satan. We need to be in the place of listening to what God is speaking and not shrug it off. The Lord is longsuffering. But what will happen if we refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit; if we push Him aside, rejecting Him, grieving Him?

I Peter 5:8,9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It's a serious thing to quench the Spirit of God and hinder His moving. It is a hardship on a pastor who is ministering the Word of God to people who refuse to pay heed; a hardship on a pastor who holds up his flock in prayer, guiding them in the ways of God through the preaching of the Word.

We need to be in the place where we're wanting the Holy Spirit to move in our midst, wanting Him to deal with us and prepare us to be vessels fit for the Master's use.

Have a Mind to Worship

We should come to church with a mind to praise and worship God: not just with words, but in sincerity and truth with all our hearts. We should use the voice that God has given us, for there are those who are mute and unable to speak. And we should use our voices to lift up and praise His Name, to testify of His goodness: giving Him glory for what He has done, exhorting from His Word. We should come to church prepared to testify, praying before we come that we might be a blessing to others in the service.

When we yield to the Lord — paying heed to what He has to say from His Word, yielding to the Spirit in praise and worship, testifying of the goodness of the Lord — then we will find a refreshing in our souls, and we will have a moving of the Spirit in our services, where God will be glorified and have His way in and through us.

Joel 1:16
Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

We all need a refreshing in our souls. When our soul is revived, our mouths are filled with joy and praise. But joy and praise are missing when we resist the Spirit of God.

Know Your Place in God's Service

Numbers 16:1-3
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

That was pride speaking: "You take too much upon you! We're holy too!"

Numbers 16:4,5
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: and he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will show who are His, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto Him: even him whom He hath chosen will He cause to come near unto Him.

These three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, had a place in the service of God, yet they wanted Moses' place. The audacity of someone to speak to such a godly leader as Korah spoke, "You take too much upon yourself!" Even to have this attitude in one's heart is sinful and wrong.

Now, who called Moses to lead God's people? He had been caring for his father-in-law's sheep in the backside of the desert when the angel of the Lord appeared in the burning bush. And when Moses turned aside to see, the Lord spoke to him and called him to go to Egypt and deliver His people from bondage.

Know that your pastors are obeying the call of God in leading the group of people God gave them to minister to. God placed it on them, and they have to answer to Him. Such a calling is a heavy load, a serious responsibility. They need the grace and mercy of God to lead His flock entrusted to them. They need His wisdom.

A godly pastor is a praying pastor who wants to obey the Lord in ministering His Word. There may be times when they want to run away because the people in their care shut their ears and resist the Holy Spirit. Yet, they continue to preach the Word, preaching what He tells them to preach. Then the results are between the Lord and the people, not between the preacher and the people.

They make up their minds to continue doing the will of God, taking up their cross, even though it may be heavy to carry. They continue on because God has placed His calling upon their lives, and they want to be faithful to the call. They want the Holy Spirit to have His way in their lives, even to the preaching of the Word of God and leading the flock entrusted to them.

Their desire is to move on and have the flock move on into all that God would want of them as a church and as an individual.