United in Prayer

Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash

“Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So, Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.”  Exodus 17:12-13 NLT 

The Battle Belongs to God

In Exodus 17, God’s people are under attack from an opposing nation.  It’s an interesting story. Moses commands Joshua to go into battle and says that he will stand above the battlefield holding the staff of God in his hand.  The staff represented God’s authority and power, and it was God who would help the Israelites defeat their enemies.   

In verse 11, it goes on to say that as long as “Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.”  If you’ve ever tried to hold your arms above your head for any length of time, I am sure you can empathize with Moses when he becomes so tired he can no longer hold up his hands. 

This might have been the end for the Israelites; what could have happened next was their defeat at the hands of their enemies.  But this isn’t how the story ends. Why?  Because others come alongside him and do for him what he is too exhausted to do on his own.  Aaron and Hur give him a place to sit and hold up his arms, one on each side, holding his arms steady, until the enemy has been defeated. 

In This Together 

Three times every week World Hope staff in North America gather to pray.  Why?  We are holding up the arms of our team members around the world who are serving the most vulnerable.  The work they do is both good and challenging.  They experience first-hand vulnerable people living in hard places and the struggles they experience.  Our staff teams around the world are pushing back the darkness of injustice, of exploitation, of broken systems, relationships, and worldviews.  And they do it all with limited resources, while facing their own personal challenges, in finite bodies. 

You may never be in the field helping survivors of trafficking experience hope and healing, or training water management committees, or helping to change the stigma around disability but you can be on the front lines of pushing back the darkness through prayer as you lift up those who are. Would you join us in lifting up the arms of our field staff?   

Learn more about World Hope International (Canada)’s pillars.