Prayer That Moves the Battle

Lifting Up Our Leaders: A Responsibility with Reward

Bible Passage: Exodus 17:8–13

Prayer That Moves the Battle Text: Exodus 17:8–13 Big Idea: What happens on the hill in prayer determines what happens in the valley in battle.

Exodus 17:8–13 KJV 1900

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Introduction (Hook)

Israel faces Amalek: a surprise attack in the valley of Rephidim.

Rephidim is the first place the Israelites rest after the crossing of the Red Sea. God shows them that at the moment of comfort, the enemy can attack at any minute.

Moses goes up the hill with the staff of God; Joshua fights below.

Thesis: Prayer is not a post-game ceremony; it is the battle plan. When God’s people lift their hands, God lifts their lives.

Exegetical Snapshot (Set the Scene)

v. 9–10: Two fields of action—hill (intercession) and valley (engagement).

v. 11: As Moses’ hands are raised, Israel prevails; when they drop, Amalek prevails.

v. 12: Prayer needs perseverance (stone for steadiness) and partners (Aaron & Hur).

v. 13: Joshua defeats Amalek—victory flows from the hill to the valley.

1) Prayer Is Our First Strategy, Not Our Last Resort

Text: Exodus 17:9–10 “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.”

Moses resolved to go up the hill before the fighting began.

The hill represented the place of intercession while the valley was the place of engagement.

The valley is the place where battles are fought. As a child of God, you will always find yourself in a position where you have to fight a spiritual battle and it is usually in the place where you feel the lowest. It is in the place where the enemy attempts to position himself to ambush you. It is in the place where you feel you are at your weak point.

But the hill represents intercession and the place of prayer. You cannot fight a battle in the valley if you have not had prayer on the hill. You must position yourself in the place where your prayers oversee the places the enemy attacks.

Prayer positions God’s authority (the staff) over human activity.

As a church, we need to pray over every situation. We have the names of people on our prayer list to pray for and we expect God to heal them or deliver them for a situation.

We also need to pray for every decision we make.

We need to cover our church and community in prayer.

We need to pray for our leadership and for our growth.

Everything must be covered in prayer because the battle is on the way. Every time we meet, we need to pray, every major decision, we need to pray. If we have conflict in the church we need to pray. Philippians 4:6–7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Eph 6:12,Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Illustration Idea: Air traffic control—planes (actions) don’t move safely without unseen guidance (prayer).

2) Intercession Needs Infrastructure: Partners & Practical Support

Text: Exodus 17:11–12 “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

What happens when leadership gets weary? What happens when the people who are supporting the ministry get tired while doing the work of the ministry? Strong leaders need lifters that are ready to support them and pray with them. I need lifters who are ready to stand in the gap and ask God to protect and cover me.

In every battle, the enemy seeks the leader to destroy. Many churches, many organizations, have fallen because of the failures or the weariness of leaders.

Aaron & Hur gave a stone (structure) and support (shoulder-to-shoulder).

When Moses was tired, Aaron and Hur took a stone and sat Moses on it. The stone represents structure. The church needs to have structure to place stability for the people. The Spirit provides the gifts to win, but the people need structure to stay focused.

But the leaders also need support. Aaron and Hur stood on either side of Moses and held up his arms. No leader can be successful on his own. He needs the support of his team. He needs people willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

When Jesus was on His mission, He chose 12 men, His disciples, to learn from Him. But He leaned heavily on three: Peter, James, and John. Although all of the disciples were on the mission with Him, these are the three to He chose to hold up His arms when He was tired. As this church grows, I need some Aarons and Hurs to hold up not just my arms, but the arms of this church.

Aaron was the high priest and embodies the prayer/worship side of leadership.

Hur was an elder embodies the practical/structural support side—infrastructure for sustained intercession.

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

1 Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”

Illustration Idea: A relay race—no matter how fast one runner is, the team wins by the handoff.

3) Posture & Perseverance: Steady Hands Win Long Battles

Text: Exodus 17:12–13 “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

The miracle is not in a moment but in maintained posture. Moses stayed where he was until the battle was won.

“Until the going down of the sun”—some breakthroughs do not happen immediately but require staying power. You have to pray and keep praying. Fight and keep fighting. Keep working until the battle is won.

Illustration Idea: Phone battery + charger—power flows when consistently connected.

Mark 9:29 “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Joshua fights while Moses prays. It’s both/and—knees on the hill, hands in the field.

It is not enough to pray and not act. We need both action and prayer to win the battle. There are some battles that God fights for us, but then there are some that He epxects us to fight ourselves.

Even in battles that God fights, we still need to take some form of action

Gideon had to gather 300 men before God fought the battle.

Jehoshaphat lead the people in a praise service before they won the battle.

Nehemiah led the people to rebuild the wall, but they still held swords in their hands.

Nehemiah 4:9 “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.”

Pray like it all depends on God; work like it all depends on obedience.

Illustration Idea: Two wings of a plane—remove one (prayer or action), and you crash.