Lean on Me

Bill Withers had a hit in the 1970's called "Lean On Me" and it goes like this:

"Lean on me when you're not strong

I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on...

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand;

we all need somebody to lean on."



Friends are a special blessing in our lives.  They laugh with us, cry with us, share our interests and our dreams.  We confide in them, can't wait to share our joys and successes with them and yes, call on them when we need someone to 'lean on'.  And if you have friends in the Faith, you are doubly blessed.  There is a wonderful illustration of this in Exodus 17.

Moses had just led God's people out of Egypt and into the desert when the Amalekites attacked them.  Moses told Joshua to choose some men to go out and fight the enemy.  He, Moses, would go up on top of the hill with God's staff in his hands.  As long as he held his hands up towards heaven, the Israelites had victory but when he grew tired and lowered his hands, the Amalekites would win.  Then we read this:

"When Moses' hands grew tired, they (Aaron and Hur) 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.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword."



What a beautiful picture - a brother Aaron and a friend Hur - coming alongside Moses to hold him up in his time of trouble so his hands could remain steady.  The word for 'steady' in Hebrew is 'emunah' and it means 'faithfulness'.  It is often used in scripture to describe the character of God.  From this word we get a sense of dependability, trustworthiness and righteousness.  Moses hands remained steady; they remained faithful.  In this particular instance they remained so because he had friends who came alongside him, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him to support him with their steadiness and faith.  Moses could lean on them and there was victory in the battle.

There is a similar story of friends in the Gospel of Luke.  Jesus was teaching in his hometown of Capernaum and was healing the sick.  There was such a crowd gathered in the house that there was no room left, not even outside the door.  Some friends came seeking healing for a paralyzed man they were bearing on a mat.  When they realized they couldn't get near to Jesus they went up on the roof, made an opening in it and lowered the man to the floor in front of Jesus (Luke 5).  When Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic:  "Son, your sins are forgiven."  And then He said:  "Take up your mat and go home."   And immediately the man stood up, took his mat and went home praising God.  This is another beautiful illustration of friends coming alongside in their faith, their 'emunah' to help a brother in need.  The paralytic could lean on these friends and God responded in victory in his life.

There have been many times in my life where I have been like Moses, weary in the battle.  Yet I have been blessed with friends who allowed me to lean on their faith during those times when mine seemed shaky and unsteady.  And there have been times when I am like the paralytic, needing forgiveness and healing.  During those times too I have had friends who stood alongside me, carrying me to Jesus to receive in my hour of need.  I have known friends who, like the Book of Proverbs says:  'stick closer than a brother'.

Paul writes to us in the Book of Ephesians to put on the full armor of God.  And then he says:  "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinquish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."  (Eph. 6)  Most scholars believe Paul had in mind a picture of the Roman military armor when he wrote this to Believers.  This shield they used was perhaps as large as 4 1/2' tall and 2' wide.  Soldiers could stand shoulder to shoulder behind it and create a huge wall of protection from the enemy's attack.  This is us, in Christ, when we stand shoulder to shoulder in faith, in steadfastness, in 'emunah'.  When you are weak, lean on me and my faith; when I am weak let me lean on you and your faith.  Together we can remain steady.  After all, we all need somebody to lean on.