Exodus 17:10-11 (NIV) So 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 up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

It wasn't long after the Israelites were liberated from slavery in Egypt that they encountered their first battle. The Amalekites showed up to fight the people of God. Moses told Joshua to go with his fighting men to face the Amalekites while he went to the top of a hill to raise his hands to God in prayer. You may think that this may have been a cute little trick on Moses' part so that he wouldn't have to fight, but nothing is further from the truth. The truth is that if Moses' had not gone to pray to God, the Israelites would have been defeated. As a matter of fact, while Moses' hands were lifted up in prayer, the Israelites would be winning. But when Moses' would lower his hands from fatigue, the Amalekites would start to win (Exodus 17:11). But why all of this drama? Couldn't God just deliver the Israelites from their enemies without Moses' prayers or without him lifting his hands? After all, God already knew what Moses and the people wanted and needed. They wanted and needed to win the battle! God also knew that it was imperative that they win because if they lost, their deliverance from slavery in Egypt would have been in vain.

The reason that God chose to have the battle go this way, with Joshua and the army winning when Moses' hands were lifted in prayer and losing when he would lower his hands, was because He wanted the people to know the importance that He places on prayer. In other words, the Lord wanted His people to search after Him and ask Him for what He already knew they needed so that they would keep coming to Him all the time. He knew the sinfulness of their hearts and that they would wander away from Him and destroy themselves if they were not dependent on Him for everything. It also was a beautiful depiction of the power that is made available to us by God when we surrender to Him completely. Hands up is the universal sign of surrender, and when we surrender our lives completely to Jesus and entrust ourselves to Him, He ensures that we will have the victory in the physical, emotional and spiritual battles that we will face in our lives while we journey on the earth. When Moses' got fatigued and couldn't hold up his hands anymore, Aaron and Hur had him sit on a stone as they held up his hands so that the people of God would have the victory against the Amalekites. Let's make sure that we keep our hands up in surrender and in supplication and prayer to God so that victory will always be ours in Jesus' name!

Pastor Joey Vazquez