Week Fifty-Two, 2025
“When Moses’ arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. In this way Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites” (Exodus 17:12–13).
It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms during the battle with the Amalekites, as described in the biblical book of Exodus. When Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when his arms grew weary and he lowered them, Amalek began to win. Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses, supported his arms, and kept them steady until sunset, which resulted in Joshua and the Israelites defeating the Amalekites.
During a battle with the Amalekites, Moses stood on a hilltop and held up the staff of God, while Joshua led the Israelite forces below. As the battle wore on, Moses’ arms became too heavy to hold up, and he started to lower them.
Aaron and Hur brought a stone for Moses to sit on and then stood on either side of him, holding his hands steady. The outcome was that as long as his hands were held up, Israel was victorious. With Aaron and Hur’s support, Joshua and the Israelites were able to completely defeat the Amalekites.
This event, though it happened many years ago, gives us a lesson for today. Moses, though a popular and powerful person, could not have defeated the Amalekites but for the help of Aaron and Hur—men not known by many.
I think of the unnamed men in Damascus who held onto the ropes that let Paul escape in a basket let down over the walls of the city. “Little” men enabled a “big” man to continue on his missionary journey and write over half of the New Testament.
Life is like that; it is filled with people assisting other people to accomplish great things. Think of the people who support you as you journey through life.
But better than that, think of whose arms you will hold up in the coming new year.
PS: On a personal note to all our readers, may 2026 be a most blessed year for you and your families. Please pray for us as we pray for you.
Sometimes True Stories
A recent American Bible Society report found that only 39 percent of Americans read the Bible even three or four times a year.
– 0 –
More Americans now say religion is gaining influence in national life than at any point in the past 15 years, the Pew Research Center said. The share of U.S. adults who said religion is gaining influence jumped from 18 percent to 31 percent between February 2024 and February 2025. While a 68 percent majority still believed that religion was losing ground, that number dropped dramatically from 80 percent the previous year. Pew called the increase “a sharp rise.”
– 0 –
America is at risk of population collapse. Birth rates are at a record low of 1.6 children per woman, while the population is aging.
Meanwhile, the number of adults under the age of 50 without children who say they’re “unlikely to ever have kids” rose by as much as 10 percent over the past five years.
The United States is not alone in this trend—globally, the fertility rate has hit a 60-year low.
– 0 –
According to a national survey, nearly 40 percent of adults 65 or older drink alcohol. “Older people become more sensitive to alcohol, breaking it down more slowly. And men are more likely than women to have problems with alcohol.”
Quotes You Can Use
If you want to lift your spirits, say 10 things out loud for which you have gratitude.
I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. —Abraham Lincoln
“Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor” (Proverbs 29:23).
If you find that God has not blessed you with the desires of your heart, could it be that you are asking Him to approve your plans instead of asking Him for His plans for you? —Travis Eades
Because the Bible is inspired by God, it is infallible and inerrant.
We don’t need to know what our future holds, as long as we know who holds our future. —Tony Ferguson
It’s easy to be angry with the success of others until we hear that there are even more people who find us to be similarly privileged. —Dwight Short
Obedience is better than comfort. Sometimes, loved ones will stand in the way of God’s will for your life—but obedience to God must come first, even when it leads to suffering. —Edgar Aponte
Pursue the will of the Lord even when it puts you at odds with those who love you. —Edgar Aponte
He came to be our Savior, our Sacrifice, our Substitute, our Surety, our Head, our Friend, our Lord, our Life, our All. —Charles Spurgeon
Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be lowly and humble. The best man in the church is the man who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother to whom it does not matter what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified. —Charles Spurgeon
When a child is born, he is the closest he will ever be to the image of God. —Tim and Darcy Kimmel
You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.
You cannot conquer what you will not confront.
If you don’t have Christ, then you don’t have God… and you don’t have hope.
As long as I know the Lord is standing with me, I can face the trials of tomorrow and the uncertainties of the future.
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. —Marcus Aurelius
Does it seem strange that a society that is so consumed with winning and losing omits the opportunity to win in life by neglecting God’s Word and ignoring the saving grace of Jesus?
Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].
© Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025