Prayers of Faith for Victory in Battle

“Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held out his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up- one on one side, and on the other- so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”  (Exodus 17:10-13)

Sometimes in life, our burdens can be too big to carry alone, and especially if the affliction is prolonged. Carrying a heavy weight for a long season is exhausting and our human strength will eventually just give out.  Scripture repeatedly reminds us that we cannot succeed at spiritual assignments or win spiritual battles relying on our own strength- we need spiritual resources to get the job done.

In Exodus 17, Moses, standing on top of a hill, discovered that while he held up his arms, the armies of Israel were winning the battle against their enemies in the valley below. But it was a prolonged battle, and to keep his arms steady from sunrise to sunset, he needed the support of two friends on each side to help hold up his arms.

These last three months, my husband and I have been in an intense battle for his health- a fight against cancer.  We have committed to intense nutritional and well as spiritual regimes, and, most of the time, we’ve remained steady in the face of the stress and uncertainty as to whether the malignancy is advancing or retreating. But, on some occasions when he’s experienced painful symptoms and we’ve been assaulted by dark fears, we both have felt our resolve slip and have needed the support of family and friends to help us regain our faith that God will answer the cries of our heart and heal him.

Last Sunday, two weeks before his next surgery, we had 25 friends join us an unforgettable afternoon of healing prayer.  Fifteen came to the house and ten phoned in from all over the country.  For an hour and a half, we stormed the gates of Heaven with prayers, Scriptures and spontaneous songs.  My husband and I both felt indescribable relief and joy as others helped shoulder this burden with us even for a short while. God willing, they also helped turn the tide of the fight by lifting up arms with us on this hill of faith.

We will soon receive the “official” news from the doctors. We trust that they will report that they cannot find any traces of cancer anywhere.  On that day, we will rejoice together with our dearest prayer warriors who helped lift our arms and gain the victory against our enemy.  And, most of all, we will thank our Father in Heaven for his tender mercies, healing touch and unfailing love to us, his children.

“They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
He sent out his Word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.”
(Psalm 107:19-21)