The Ultimate Secret to Overcoming Adversity

The Israelites’ first wilderness battle was against the Amalekites. A fascinating account unfolds about Moses and his vital part in their victory.

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out; fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses’s hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on either side, so his hands were steady until the sun set.

And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword (Exodus 17.8-13).

A Picture of the Cross

I talked with Rudy Ross and Whispering Danny about this passage during our YouTube video production. They interestingly saw it as an image of the crucifixion, with Moses’ outstretched hands representing Jesus on the cross.

Rudy sees Moses as an imperfect Messiah. Unlike Jesus, who suffered on the cross for us as the perfect Messiah, Moses needed assistance to raise his arms.

I never thought about these aspects of the Amalekites’ battle story before. This highlights why discussing the Bible with friends is so important.

A Picture of Intercessory Prayer

This story highlights the power of prayer. When Moses kept his hands raised, a symbol of prayer, the army won. But when his hands dropped, showing less prayer, they lost.

The book of Exodus consistently highlights Moses’s prayer life. In times of trouble, he would pray. The Bible regards him as an exceptional man of prayer.

God viewed Moses as a crucial intercessor. A conversation between God and Jeremiah highlights the significance of Moses’s role in prayer.

God knew how strong Moses’s prayers were and the closeness of their relationship. He told Jeremiah that even if Moses prayed this time, he couldn’t respond because of the people’s sins.

“Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!” (Jeremiah 15:1)

Paul, was another great man of prayer. He advised us to pray all the time about every issue in our lives.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).

James, the brother of the Lord, made it clear: we lack things because we don’t ask for them. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4.2).

Jesus gave his followers 7 prayer promises between John 14 and 16. Here’s one of those instances.

“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15.7).

Like me, you may also question why we pray so little despite evidence of its effectiveness. Shouldn’t we follow the prayerful examples set by Moses, Paul, or especially Jesus?

Help in Prayer

Aaron and Hur show us the power of prayer. No matter how big our problems are, we can depend on help from the Holy Spirit and other praying people.

Looking at Paul’s letter to the Roman church, we should learn to rely on the Holy Spirit while praying. The wieset thing we can do is to ask for the Spirit’s guidance and intercession in our prayers.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.

And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8.26-27).

I believe Aaron and Hur did more than just support Moses’ arms. They likely prayed with him as the army battled on.

Regardless of whether I’m correct or not, one thing we know for sure is that Jesus showed us the importance of praying together.

“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18.19-20).

This short article shows us wonderful examples of prayer, amazing prayer promises, and how important it is to pray with others.

The real question for us now is whether we’ll act on this knowledge. Will we use the powerful tool of prayer that God has given us to overcome life’s challenges?

YouTube Video

Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.