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)

For her fifth-grade graduation, Twila nervously stepped up to the podium. When the principal handed her the microphone, Twila was so full of nerves that she couldn’t even face the audience. So she turned around. The crowd whispered words of encouragement. She didn’t budge. Finally, a friend came to the rescue: leaving her own seat, she stood beside Twila. With the principal on one side of Twila and her friend on the other, the three read her speech together. What an amazing show of support!

Moses needed his friends too. In one of Israel’s battles, Moses’s job was to raise his staff high. If that sounds silly to you, here’s the thing: whenever Moses raised his staff, the Israelites took down their enemies. And when he lowered it? The Israelites started losing (Exodus 17:11). Hours into the battle, Moses grew tired.

His buddies came to the rescue: “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). Wow! With their support, Moses never gave up. The Israelites won the fight.

Maybe someone needs your encouragement today, just as Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Keep your eyes wide open for how you can help a friend.

Jesus, keep my eyes wide open to see the needs of the people around me. Show me who needs some encouragement today.