In this passage, we see Israel going to war with the Amalekites. Moses sent Joshua out to war while he remained behind to pray. While his hands were lifted up, Israel had victory; when his hands were weary and slipped down, Israel suffered defeat. So Aaron and Hur supported Moses, helping to lift and hold up his hands. Israel had a great victory that day. Here are five ways that a battle can be won through prayer.
Intercessors must pray while the soldiers fight. Read Exodus 17:9. Moses remained behind to pray while his spiritual son, Joshua, fought the war. What an example of a spiritual father! No wonder Joshua became a great leader. He had a spiritual father who prayed for him. Too many people go to war without prayer support. Probably, this is why there are so many spiritual casualties in the Christian faith. People fail to pray. Many do not have spiritual fathers to pray for them. Joshua was indeed a privileged man. Let us look at what Moses did:
He stood. Standing suggests alertness. Intercessors must be alert. An intercessor is someone who stays awake in the dark and watches over the city. When the enemy comes, he sounds the alarm so that the people can arise immediately and defend the city. The Bible teaches that if the watchman falls asleep and does not sound the alarm, the blood of the people will be upon his hand. What an awesome responsibility an intercessor has! Are you standing, sitting, or sleeping in your spiritual life?
He stood at the top of the hill. This location gave the intercessor an overview of the battle. An intercessor should be able to see the overall purposes of God so that he will have spiritual insights on how to pray.
He held the rod of Cod in his hand. God's rod speaks of authority. This rod was given to Moses as a sign of Moses' leadership. Moses used the rod to defeat the Egyptian sorcerers and open the Red Sea. We must use our authority over the devil when we pray. When we fight the devil in the name of Jesus, we have authority over him. We must always pray with the authority God has given to us.
A weakening of intercessory prayer will lead to defeat. Read Exodus 17:11. The evidence given in this verse is clear. When prayer stopped, the Amalekites prevailed. If we fail to plan, we plan to fail. If we fail to pray, we are destined to fail.
Read Matthew 26:40-41, 45. Jesus had trouble getting His disciples to pray with Him for just one hour. The disciples paid a high price for not praying. Within a few hours of their prayerlessness, they were all scattered as Jesus was crucified. Peter denied Jesus three times. The rest of the disciples ran away as Jesus died on the Cross. Only the women were left to look after His body. I often wonder if the scenario would have been different if they had prayed with Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps Peter would not have denied Jesus. God may have delivered him in his time of temptation.
One strong intercessor is insufficient; a team is needed. Read Exodus 17:12. Moses grew tired and had to be supported by two strong men, one on each side. Sometimes we think we can leave prayer to God's appointed intercessors, but the truth is that we can't. We are all called to be intercessors. A TEAM of intercessors is needed Together Everyone Achieves More.
Jesus needed His disciples to pray with Him at Gethsemane (Matthew 26). Imagine, even the Son of God needed His disciples to pray with Him! How much more we, as mortal human beings, need intercessors to pray with us in our times of need. We cannot live our Christian lives on the faith and prayers of a few godly men.
Intercessors must record, recount, and pass on the prayer lifestyles to the next generation. Read Exodus 17:14. Moses gave two specific instructions. He wrote and recounted it particularly for Joshua. Moses wanted Joshua to know what happened up on the hill when the battle was being fought. He wanted Joshua to know that he had been praying.
Are you recording your prayers? Are you recording God's answers to your prayers? Are you sharing your testimonies? Are you passing on this prayerful lifestyle to the next generation?
Many revivals do not survive to the next generation because the prayer lifestyle of the revival generation is not passed on to the next generation. So the revival dies. All revivals are born in prayer. In the same way, revivals can only be sustained by prayer.
Intercessory prayer creates a banner of protection. Read Exodus 17:15. God's name lehovah Nissi comes from this passage. Intercessory prayer creates a banner of protection over God's people. What a way to end this story by remembering that God is our banner! But remember that the banner was there only when Moses lifted his hands to pray. People often assume that the banner will always be present; however, when they fail to pray, they lose the battle. The banner is there only because we pray.
What a powerful example of how we can have victory when we pray. Many Christians live in defeat because they do not pray. Start praying today, and record both your prayers and God's answers to your prayers. Prayer will surely bring a boost to your spiritual life
General Conference Ministerial Association
