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bigmike

The Work of Prayer
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Exodus 17:10-12
Since God had destroyed the Egyptian army with the waters of the Red Sea, Israel had not yet had to fight a battle when they faced the Amalekites.
This kingdom, descendants from Esau, refused to let the Israelites pass by them as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Instead, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites. In defense, Moses sent the Israelite army into battle under the leadership of Joshua, while Moses watched the battlefield and prayed. The thing that brought the Israelites the victory was not the courage of their soldiers or the military abilities of Joshua. He is renowned even in secular history as a great general, but the victory was not his. Instead the triumph of Israel over Amalek came because Moses prayed. As Moses watched the battle and raised his arms in prayer, his arms grew tired.
It was then that Aaron and Hur supported him so that he could continue praying until the victory was won.
It is easy for us to underestimate the importance of prayer, and the importance of encouraging and helping others pray. But in truth, prayer is not an add on or sideline to the real work. Prayer is spiritual work for God, and it is a work that produces results. Curtis Hutson used to say, "There is more that you can do after you pray, but there is nothing you can do until you pray." We are utterly reliant on God's power to win any battle, large or small. We do not fight in our strength but in His, and that strength comes to us when we pray.
Our strength will never be enough, but through prayer we tap in to the unlimited power of God Almighty.
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