When Our Arms Get Tired

Many of us are pretty good at pushing through.

We’ve learned how to carry weight quietly. How to keep showing up even when we’re tired. How to manage responsibilities, expectations, and pressure without letting too much show. Somewhere along the way, especially in this country, strength became synonymous with independence, and asking for help started to feel like failure.

I see that instinct in myself more than I’d like to admit.

There are seasons where nothing is obviously wrong, yet everything feels heavy. Work demands pile up. Family needs increase. Ministry and relationships require emotional energy. And instead of slowing down or reaching out, we tighten our grip and tell ourselves we’ll rest later.

But eventually, even strong arms get tired.

Scripture gives us a picture of that reality in a way that is highly relatable.

A Battle Decided by Endurance, Not Strength

In Exodus 17, Israel is fighting Amalek. Moses goes up on a hill overlooking the battlefield, holding the staff of God in his hands. As long as his arms remain raised, Israel gains ground in the fight. When his arms drop, the battle begins to turn against Israel.

At first, Moses does what leaders often do - he bears the responsibility alone.

But time passes. The battle drags on. And Moses’ arms grow weary.

This is where the story becomes deeply human.

Aaron and Hur notice what’s happening. They don’t scold Moses for being tired. They don’t tell him to push harder. They come alongside him and provide help.

“They took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.” Exodus 17:12 (ESV)

The victory didn’t come because Moses was strong enough to hold his arms up all day. It came because he wasn’t left to do it alone.

Why We Resist Letting Others Help

If I’m honest, this is where I struggle a lot.

I don’t always mind helping others, but receiving help is harder. There’s something uncomfortable about admitting weakness. Something vulnerable about saying, “I can’t do this on my own.”

Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s fear of being a burden. Maybe it’s the belief that if we slow down, everything will fall apart. I think it's some of all the above for me.

So we keep our arms raised longer than we should.

But Scripture gently pushes back against that instinct.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

God didn’t design us to carry everything solo. He designed the church, families, friendships, and community as means of grace. He designed them as places where shared burden becomes shared strength.

Letting others help doesn’t diminish our faith. It often deepens it.

God’s Strength Often Comes Through People

One of the quieter lessons of Moses’ story is how God chose to sustain him.

God could have miraculously strengthened Moses’ arms. He could have ended the battle sooner. Instead, He used people - faithful, observant, present people - working together to achieve the victory.

That pattern continues throughout Scripture.

God strengthens Elijah through food and rest. He comforts Paul through companions. He encourages the early church through shared life and mutual care.

Paul captures this beautifully when he writes:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Weakness isn’t a liability in God’s order of things. It’s often the place where His provision becomes most visible, sometimes through the very people sitting beside us.

What It Looks Like to Let Others Lift Us Up

Most of us aren’t standing on a hill during a battle, but we are fighting quieter ones.

Marriages under strain. Parenting fatigue. Work pressure that never seems to ease. Spiritual stagnation we can't seem to shake.

Letting others lift us up might look like slowing down long enough to admit we’re tired. It might mean asking for prayer instead of just offering it. It could be as simple as allowing someone to listen without trying to fix everything ourselves.

Ecclesiastes reminds us:

“Two are better than one… For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.” Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (ESV)

Faith isn’t just something we practice privately. It’s something we live out together.

Strength That Lasts Is Shared

Moses didn’t lose authority when Aaron and Hur held up his arms. He didn’t become less faithful. He became sustained.

In the same way, receiving support doesn’t make us weaker - it makes our faith more durable. It keeps us present. It keeps us humble. It keeps us moving forward when we might otherwise collapse under the weight we try to bear alone.

Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is admit our arms are tired.

So let me ask you…

As I ask myself the same questions:

• Where am I trying to carry more than I was meant to?

• Who has God placed in my life to help support me right now?

• What keeps me from asking for help - fear, pride, habit?

• Where might God be inviting me to be honest instead of strong?

• How can I be more attentive to those whose arms may be growing weary around me?

A Closing Word for Fellow Pilgrims

We were never meant to be strong alone.

God does fight for us, but often through people who show up quietly, sit beside us, and help hold us steady when our strength runs out.

If you’re tired, you’re not failing. If you need help, you’re not weak. If your arms are heavy, you’re not alone.

God is still at work, sometimes through raised hands, and sometimes through the friends who help keep them there.

Until the journey is complete,

Jonathan Pilgrim

P.S. This week, let's consider one small step: share honestly with one trusted person about where you’re feeling weary, or look for someone whose arms might be tired and offer to help hold them up. Faith often grows strongest when it’s shared.