So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; (Exo 17:9-15)
In battle, there was someone in the army assigned to carry a banner on a pole. As long as he lifted up the banner, all the soldiers knew they should continue to fight. But when the bearer let down the banner, the soldiers knew that they were being defeated. As Moses lifted up his hands to the Lord on the hill, he put his faith and trust in the Lord for Israel's victory over the enemy. And as long as he kept his hands lifted up high, the Lord defeated the enemy. When it became too hard and he lowered his hands, then the enemy began to prevail in the battle. That's why Aaron and Hur had him sit down as they supported his hands for hours until the sun set. That day, their banner was not a piece of cloth. The Lord Himself was the banner over them who gave the victory. And that is why Moses said, "The Lord is Our Banner."
Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. (Psa 28:2)
So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. (Psa 63:4)
And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes. (Psa 119:48)
"Arise, cry aloud in the night At the beginning of the night watches; Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones Who are faint because of hunger At the head of every street." (Lam 2:19)
We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven; (Lam 3:41)
Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Neh 8:6)
May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. (Psa 141:2)
Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. (1Ti 2:8)
So as you can see, the Scripture is full of examples of people lifting their hands to God. It's very powerful! The Lord is very pleased when we lift up our hearts and hands to Him. As Moses said, "The Lord is Our Banner." When you lift up your hands to Him in prayer, He will be your banner of victory over the enemy. Let me encourage you to do that when you pray and worship.
Credit: Photos from the "I Will Sing" album by Don Moen, recorded at the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Author's note: You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."
Do you want to know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:
HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He is based in Eastern Europe, where he is helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, and planting churches that multiply. www.dmiworld.org.
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