An Army Of One

As my feet hit the floor this morning, I began to dread the day. My to do list looked longer than ever and my motivation to tackle it surprisingly short. I felt like an army of one heading out onto the battlefield one more time. What do I do on days like today? Sit down and open up God’s Word. What I discovered? God gives us more than we can handle all by ourselves, because were not meant to face life’s battles alone.

All By Myself

In His great faithfulness, God spoke to me right in my need. In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro came for a visit. As Moses steps into the camp and begins to fulfill his call as leader of the nation of Israel, Jethro steps in and says, “Moses, what you are doing is not good!” Moses sat alone as judge and administrator over everyone in the camp. Jethro admonished Moses to look around and find faithful men who would share the load with him.

I knew God was talking to me. I felt worn out because I was trying to do everything all by myself. I felt tired because I refused to ask others to help carry my load. When Jethro pointed out Moses’ foolishness in trying to carry the burden all alone, God instantly showed Moses that he was surrounded by capable men who were willing and eager to help him.

I Am Supposed to Need Help

So today I have a confession to make: I need help! And what God showed me today is that I am supposed to need help. And so are you. Because that’s God’s design. To do it all alone “is not good” (Exodus 18:17). We are meant to function together- to carry each other’s loads. Paul said, “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Paul never worked alone. He always had an army of people around him, each one fulfilling their part of the work of spreading the gospel and equipping the saints. I closed my Bible today with a fresh perspective: When I feel as though I have too much to do, God is inviting me to open my eyes to see my fellow warriors around me, those who are willing and eager to help carry my load.

Asking for Help

He wants me to ask them for help in fighting my battles. Jethro told Moses, “If you do this, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied!”.

Sounds like a win-win to me. Anybody else out there need help? Let’s open our eyes to see those around us. Let’s carry one another’s burdens through prayer, words of encouragement, and tangible help when needed. Let’s stop trying to fight all of our battles alone.

Let’s be the unexplainable church. Because we’re all in this together.

Who has God given you to help carry the load?

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