In a seven-week period of time, three of the seven pastors at our church abruptly and unexpectedly quit their jobs. At least one cited extreme exhaustion and burnout as the cause.

Doing any kind of spiritual work can be tiring (whether vocational or voluntary), but there is something that can truly make all of the difference in the world: not doing it alone.

According to the Barna Group, researchers on all things ministry, the key to the spiritual, mental and emotional health of a minister are his or her relationships with other Believers. The Bible gives us a good example of this in practice.

In Exodus chapter 17, the Israelites had been attacked by the Amalekites. As they engaged in the battle, Moses, their leader, stood on the top of a hill overlooking them. As long as Moses was able to raise his arms and hold up his staff, the Israelites won. However, when his arms became tired and he had to lower them, the Amalekites won.

Moses’ brother Aaron and their friend Hur quickly realized that they were going to lose if Moses didn’t get some help so they rolled a stone over for him to sit on, and then each of them stood on one side of Moses and held up his arms until the fighting was over.

Do you know what? Sometimes people in ministry around us need us to prop them up a little. A compliment, kind note, thoughtful gesture or some help may be just the thing that they need to keep going. As we head out to church tomorrow morning, let’s intentionally see who we can be Aaron and Hur to.