LOOK UP!

In Exodus 17 we read where the Israelites went to war.  Moses was on the mountain above them and would lift his hands in prayer. When his arms wearied, his friends held up his hands.  As long as his arms were extended, they prevailed. 

This story is full of rabbit trails that could be explored but I want to focus on just one.  The Hebrew word for prayer is ‘Palal.’  As Hebrew doesn’t have any vowels per se, the letters that comprise this word are Pey, Lamed, Lamed. 

Hebrew is a picturesque language.  Each letter can represent certain things.  The Pey represents a mouth. The Lamed represent arms reaching up to HaShem. If you put the Pey in between the lameds you can see the word picture of a man praying.  To be in the midst of a battle and look up and see the man who speaks to HaShem, visibly praying must have been emboldening and comforting. 

This idea of looking up to find comfort and encouragement is spread throughout the scriptures. Psalms 121 begins “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence does my help come from.”  During the exodus, when the people were bitten by snakes, a bronze serpent was attached to a pole and lifted up.  The people were healed when they looked up.  To enter the temple you had to ascend steps to go up. 

We are all engaged in our own personal battles.  The day to day grind takes it’s toll and wearies us.  When we are in the midst of it lets not forget to take a moment, stop, and be encouraged as we look up and see Jesus, our Messiah, advocating and praying for us.