Hands of Prayer

Listen to the devotional here.

“And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” (Exodus 17:11)

Long ago, the Israelites camped at a place called Rephidim. Out of nowhere, the Amalekites came with a fierce attack. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, told Joshua to choose soldiers and fight. But Moses had a different task. He climbed a hill, carrying the staff of God in his hands.

Then, something amazing happened. As long as Moses held his hands high, the Israelites would be winning. But when his hands got tired and fell, the Amalekites began to win.

Aaron and Hur saw Moses struggling. They sprang into action. First, they brought a stone for Moses to sit on. Then, they lifted up his hands, until the Israelites won the battle.

The Amalekites were enemies of God’s ways. God commanded His Israelites to fight them until they were completely destroyed. But the Israelites were no match for the Amalekites without God’s help. The Amalekites were obviously stronger than the Israelites, who moved from place to place to live. Only when Moses held up his hands in constant prayer did they triumph.

The story of the Israelites and the Amalekites mirrors the spiritual battles we face today. After we believe in Jesus and are baptized in His blood, we journey toward heaven. But along the way, struggles arise. Inside each of us is a battle: between the part of us that wants to do wrong and the part that wants to do good. This fight between the law of evil and the law of goodness is fierce.

Like the Amalekites, the pull of sin is strong. Perhaps, like an enemy too powerful to defeat. Yet just as the Israelites won because they trusted God, so can we. What we should be afraid of is forgetting to call upon the Lord for help.

Moses, with his hands raised towards heaven, teaches us something important. Holding up our hands once means a single victory; holding them up always means continuous victory.

The spiritual battle may rage on. But with prayer, the outcome is surely victory.

Until we reach the promised land, let’s continue a prayerful life always, trusting in God’s strength.

Family Altar

Use these discussion questions and our prayer as a guide for your family altar.

Parents can lead the prayer and invite their children to repeat after them or encourage their children to take the lead, making family altar time a shared journey of faith.

Discussion:

• How often do you pray?

• What is 1 way you want to improve in your prayers?

• What is 1 thing we can pray for you?
  

Prayer in words:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Lord, thank You for dying for us on the cross. With Your death and resurrection, You promised us victory over sin through Your precious blood. We have many sins and weaknesses. Sometimes, it’s difficult to run away from temptation. Give us strength to obey You, even when it feels easier to do bad things. Forgive us for the times we disobeyed You. Lord, we want our hands to be the hands of prayer. Teach us to pray, and teach us to enjoy prayer, so that we can always stay close to You. Amen.

_{Adapted from Hsieh, Ezra. “Commit Your Way to Jesus.” Living Bread, Word of Life Publishing House, pp. 83-84.}