Aly Femia’s little boy woke up in the middle of the night with an urgent need. So he did what he heard his parents do many times. He said, “Alexa,” and then described want he wanted. Take a look at this video footage caught on Femia’s baby monitor (show Alexa, I Need Daddy video, www.youtube.com/watch?v= le3QT_lUAe0).
Having woken during the middle of the night, the boy turns and says, “Alexa,” which turned on the smart speaker, “I need daddy.” Now that Alexa is listening, it replies with, “What should I add?” The toddler replies, “daddy.”
Alexa then hilariously replied, “I’ve added daddy to your shopping list, is there anything else?” The adorable boy replied, “Umm … no” (Devan McGuinness, “Baby Monitor Catches Toddler Having Cute Chat with Alexa in Viral Video,” Yahoo Life, 2-24-21; www.PreachingToday.com).
That video reminds me of God’s children, who sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, needing their Heavenly Daddy. However, unlike Alexa, their Heavenly Daddy understands their cry and is “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Do you need your Heavenly Daddy in these dark days? Then I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 17, Exodus 17, where Israel, in desperate need of God’s intervention, encounters their first enemy since leaving Egypt.
Exodus 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim (ESV).
There was no water to drink at Rephidim, according to verse 1, until Moses struck the rock and out flowed a river of water. Later, the desert nomads called Rephidim the “Pearl of Sinai,” because it became a mini paradise of palm trees and pasture (Knowles, The Bible Guide). Now, all of a sudden, the Amalekites are interested in this new oasis, so they attack the Israelites, who are camped there. How does Moses respond to this new threat?
Exodus 17:9-10 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and 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 (ESV).
Moses appoints Joshua to lead an army of Israelites against the Amalekites, and he ascends a hill to intercede on Israel’s behalf. He takes the “staff of God” with him, the same staff God used to bring the plagues on Egypt. Moses attacks from below with an army of Israelites, and he attacks from above with the power of God. It’s an effective strategy not only for Moses and the Israelites, but also for you and me when the enemy attacks.
COMBINE PRAYER WITH ACTION.
Intercede and involve yourself in the counterattack. Join works to your faith to combat the forces of evil.
James 5:15 says, “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.” I.e., the prayer of a faith that works will rescue the one who is weak and weary in their struggle against sin. For faith in James always works, otherwise it is useless to save anyone (James 2:14, 20).
When Nehemiah prays for the restoration of Jerusalem, after confessing Israel’s sins and recounting the promises of God, he asks God, “Give success to your servant today” (Nehemiah 1:11). Nehemiah asks God to use him in answer to his own prayer. He is not content to passively sit on the sidelines while God does His work. No! Nehemiah wants God to do His work through him.
Sir Thomas More, the 16th Century British lawyer, judge, and theologian, prayed, “The things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us the grace to labor for” (Carroll E. Simcox in The Christian Century, March 4, 1987; www.PreachingToday.com).
Peter Muhlenberg preached fiery sermons in the late 18th Century, supporting the cause of the American colonists against the British imperialists. However, in his last sermon before leaving to join Washington’s army, he decided to do something unusual to drive his point home.
After reading from Ecclesiastes 3, he said, “There is a time to preach and a time to pray, but there is also a time to fight, and that time has now come.” Then Muhlenberg threw off his robes to reveal the uniform of a militia colonel.
He asked the men of his congregation to join him, and many of them did. They became known as the “German Regiment,” which Muhlenberg led throughout the Revolutionary War. He eventually rose to the rank of major general, and after the war, returned to Philadelphia a hero (Mark Couvillon, “The American Revolution,” Christian History, no. 50; www.PreachingToday.com).
Muhlenberg joined works to his faith and helped to lead a nation to victory against tyranny.
You do the same, but make sure you do what GOD leads you to do. Don’t ask God to bless your own ideas. No. Ask God for the wisdom to do what HE wants you to do in answer to your own prayers.
Philip Yancey, in his book on Prayer, writes, “If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn't act the way we want God to, and why I don't act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge (Philip Yancey, Prayer, Zondervan, 2006; www.PreachingToday.com).
As you pray for our nation today, asking God to intervene, what is God asking you to do? Don’t be content to sit on the sidelines while God does His work. No! Ask God to do His work through you. Combine prayer with action when the enemy attacks. Then…
CONTINUE IN PRAYER.
Keep on praying until God gives you the victory. Persevere with your petition until God grants your request. That’s what Moses did.
Exodus 17:11-13 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword (ESV).
As Moses held up his hands in prayer, Israel prevailed, but when he grew weary and dropped his hands, Amalek prevailed. So Moses found a way to keep his hands raised in prayer until Israel won the victory. You do the same. Keep on praying until you win the victory.
In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable of a persistent widow. She kept coming to a judge, saying, “Give me justice against my adversary,” and for a while he refused. Then he got to thinking, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” How much more will our righteous and loving Heavenly Father give justice to His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night (Luke 18:1-8).
Please, don’t give up on God. Just keep on praying until He comes through for you.
Several years ago, I shared a story that comes from David Fitch book, Seven Practices for the Church on Mission.
In that book, he talks about how a group of eight people from two churches felt called to the Detroit Boulevard neighborhood of Sacramento in 2010. It was known as one of the most notorious crime-ridden neighborhoods in all of Sacramento. Each house in that neighborhood was a place of danger. Nonetheless this group of eight decided to walk through the neighborhood praying over each home and praying for the presence of Christ to reign over violence, addiction, and satanic oppression. They began walking through the neighborhood, praying over each home and rebuking the demonic strongholds of addiction and violence.
One of the eight, former Sacramento police officer and gang detective Michael Xiong, reported that “each time we prayed over the houses, we felt the weight of oppression becoming lighter.” A woman from one of the houses confronted them. When she discovered they were praying for the community, she asked for healing, and God healed her.
The group soon physically moved into the neighborhood and started what they called Detroit Life Church. A couple years later, a local newspaper, the Sacramento Bee, reported that there were no homicides, robberies, or sex crimes, and only one assault in Detroit Boulevard between 2013 and 2014. Detroit Boulevard had been transformed by a small group of people who began their ministry in the neighborhood by praying around houses, streets, and parks for the power of Satan to be vanquished (David E. Fitch, Seven Practices for the Church on Mission, IVP Press, 2018, pages 120-121; www.PreachingToday.com).
They persisted in prayer until God gave them the victory, and that’s the only way you and I can win over the forces of evil today.
As Zerubbabel was rebuilding the temple after the first wave of Jews returned from exile, God reminded him through the prophet Zechariah, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Zerubbabel was doing the work God called him to do, but he could only complete that work by depending on the Spirit of God.
In the same way, you can only complete the work God has called you to do by depending on his Holy Spirit. So keep on praying until you get the job done. 1st, Combine prayer with action. 2nd, Continue in prayer until God answers. And 3rd…
FIND COMPANIONS IN PRAYER.
Recruit some people to join you as you pray. Get some help when you pray.
That’s what Moses did. He asked Aaron and Hur to join him on the hill while Joshua fought the battle below. That way, when Moses got tired, he had support. He had two companions to literally hold up his hands in prayer. Those two were his brother Aaron and his brother-in-law Hur, i.e., his sister Miriam’s husband.
You do the same. Sometimes, you have to go into your prayer closet alone to pour out your heart to God. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, Jesus encouraged it (Matthew 6:6). However, there are times, many times, when you need help. So don’t pray alone all the time. Recruit some people to pray with you. Ask some people to support you when you pray, to hold up your hands (so to speak) and pray with you until the victory is won.
In the weariness of our battle against sin, James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” You need brothers or sisters to pray with you (and for you), so you can overcome the forces of evil in your life.
In his book Stories for the Journey, William R. White tells the story of Hans, a European seminary professor devastated by the death of his wife, Enid. Hans was so overcome with sorrow that he lost his appetite and didn't want to leave the house.
Out of concern, the seminary president, along with three other professors, paid Hans a visit. The grieving professor confessed that he was struggling with doubt. “I am no longer able to pray to God,” he admitted to his colleagues. “In fact, I am not certain I believe in God anymore.”
After a moment of silence, the seminary president said, “Then we will believe for you. We will pray for you.” The four men continued to meet daily for prayer, asking God to restore the gift of faith to their friend. Some months later, as the four friends gathered for prayer with Hans, Hans smiled and said, “It is no longer necessary for you to pray FOR me. Today I would like you to pray WITH me” (John Koessler, Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, www.PreachingToday.com)
Like Aaron and Hur, Han’s friends held up his hands in prayer when he could no longer do it. Please, find a couple of people to do that for you, for even the best of us need help sometimes.
Patrick Mahomes is probably one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history. He led the Kansas City Chiefs through two consecutive Superbowl wins this year (2024) and last year (2023), but even he needed help. Last year (2023), he limped his way through a last-minute, game-winning drive in the 2023 AFC Championship, but he didn’t do it alone. After the game, he gave the credit for his performance to someone that even the biggest Kansas City Chiefs fans had never heard of. That night, he wrote on twitter, “Julie WAS the reason I was the guy I was on the field today!” Her full name is Julie Frymer.
Julie Frymer is the team’s assistant athletic trainer. Frymyer had one of the NFL’s most important jobs in the 2022-2023 season: She was in charge of putting Mahomes through rehab for his injured ankle and getting the star quarterback ready to play for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Hobbling through a nasty sprain that often requires weeks of recovery, Mahomes wasn’t just able to play against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was fantastic. He was clearly gimpy, grimacing through several plays, but he was mobile enough to make several key plays, including a crucial run setting up the last-second field goal that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl in 2023 to face the Philadelphia Eagles (Andrew Beaton, “The Woman Who Rescued Patrick Mahomes’s Season,” The Wall Street Journal, 2-3-2023; www.PreachingToday.com).
Moses had Aaron and Hur. Mahomes had Julie Frymer. Who do you have to support you in your time of need?
I meet with a group of guys every Tuesday morning at 6:45 a.m. Let me tell you. They have supported me in prayer through some very discouraging times. They kept me from giving up when I seriously thought about retiring last year. Guys, you’re welcome to join us right here at the church. We encourage each other in the Scriptures, and we pray for one another. That’s all we do, but it’s enough to keep all of us going when life gets tough. So join us if you need some buddies to lift up your tired hands.
Ladies, your opportunity is 7 p.m. Monday night when a group of ladies gather right here at the church to support and pray for each other. Or you can join us immediately following Sunday School every Sunday as we pray for one another and the church. If none of these work for you, then find somebody to pray with you on a regular basis. It’s absolutely essential for your own spiritual growth and protection.
If you want to overcome the forces of evil in your life, 1st, combine prayer with action. 2nd, continue in prayer until God answers. 3rd, find companions in prayer. And finally…
COMMEMORATE WHAT GOD DOES when you pray.
Memorialize the victories God gives you in answer to prayer. Find a way to remember God’s wins in response to your prayers. That’s what God tells Moses to do.
Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (ESV).
No doubt, that book is the book of Exodus, which we’re reading right now. God wants Moses to write it down so the next generation remembers what God did and will do, because they will face this enemy again and again (Numbers 14:45; Judges 6:33; 1 Samuel 14:48; 15:7; 27:8; 30:16-31). Then Moses goes even further to ensure that the next generation never forgets.
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner… (ESV)
That is to say, the Lord is the One I follow. Just like an army rallies around its flag, so God is the flag under which I orient my whole life (Coover-Cos, CSB Study Bible Notes, p.117).
Exodus 17:16 …saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (ESV).
Moses’ upraised hand signifies his submission to God’s sovereign rule, the God who has decreed His opposition to Amalek. It’s a warning to Israel’s enemies and reassurance to Israel—God is in control, and He will protect His people.
Now, that’s the kind of reassurance we all need from time to time, so like God told Moses to do, write down what God does in answer to prayer, or find some other way to remember the victories God has won for you. It will reassure you every time the enemy attacks and tries to get you down.
Several years ago, The Atlantic magazine featured the small island of Igloolik, in northern Canada, which the author described as a bewildering place in the winter. The average temperature hovers at about 20 degrees below zero, thick sheets of sea ice cover the surrounding waters, and the sun is rarely seen.
Despite the brutal conditions, Inuit hunters have for some 4,000 years ventured out from their homes on the island and traveled across miles of ice and tundra to search for game. The hunters' ability to navigate vast stretches of the barren Arctic terrain, where landmarks are few, snow formations are in constant flux, and trails disappear overnight, has amazed explorers and scientists for centuries. The Inuit's extraordinary way-finding skills are born not of technological prowess—they never used maps and compasses—but of a profound understanding of winds, snowdrift patterns, animal behavior, stars, and tides.
Inuit culture is changing now. The Igloolik hunters have begun to rely on computer-generated maps to get around, especially younger Inuit members. The ease and convenience of a GPS makes the traditional Inuit techniques seem archaic and cumbersome.
But as GPS devices have proliferated on Igloolik, reports of serious accidents during hunts have spread. A hunter who hasn't developed way-finding skills can easily become lost, particularly if his GPS receiver fails. The routes plotted on satellite maps can also give hunters tunnel vision, leading them onto thin ice or into other hazards a skilled navigator would avoid.
A local anthropologist, who has been studying Inuit hunters for more than 15 years, notes that while satellite navigation has some advantages, its use also leads to a deterioration in way-finding abilities and a weakened feel for the land. An Inuit on a GPS-equipped snowmobile is not so different from a suburban commuter in a GPS-equipped SUV: as they devote their attention to the instructions coming from the computer, they lose sight of their surroundings. They travel "blindfolded." A unique talent that has distinguished a people for centuries may evaporate in a generation (Nicholas Carr, “All Can Be Lost: The Risk of Putting Our Knowledge in the Hands of Machines,” The Atlantic, November 2013; www.PreachingToday.com).
In the same way, the Christian faith can evaporate in a generation if we don’t find a way to pass it on, if we don’t write it down or find a way to commemorate what God has done for us. Your children and grandchildren are going to need it as they face even greater opposition than you or I ever faced. They’re going to need to know that God is still on His throne and that God will protect His own from any who oppose.
I used to keep a prayer diary, in which I recorded God’s answers to specific prayers. Maybe, it’s time to revive that practice again for my own children and grandchildren.
If you want to overcome the forces of evil in your own life and that of your family, 1st, combine prayer with action. 2nd, continue in prayer until God answers. 3rd, find companions in prayer. And finally, commemorate what God does when you pray.
Sun Tzu, a Chinese general and strategist 600 years before Christ, said, “Every battle is won or lost before it is fought” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War).
So it is with any battle you face today. You win it on your knees long before you fight it in your life. So devote yourself to prayer even before the battle comes.
