Exodus 17: 8-16
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses
said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 10
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur
went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the
Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were
winning. 12 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, one on
the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame
the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this
on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it,
because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” 15
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because
hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war
against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Title: Raise your hands to victory
Message: To raise
hands is to surrender to God all about us, to trust Him wholeheartedly and to
triumph over life’s trials. Moses totally trusted God and obeyed His every
instruction; thus, he and his allies became victorious in their fight against
the Amalekites. This I can relate to what I underwent when I came to know God
and started to trust Him. I used to take things concerning God for granted. I
used to depend too much on my very own capacity that I made outright decisions
without consulting Him. I’ve been that proud and I thought I was that strong.
Until one day I woke up that all about me was a mess. I got broke to the point
that I almost ended up begging. My family, my friends could not extend me any
help. Nobody assisted me. Life was miserable. Then, I learned to open the bible
and started scanning its pages. I eventually read and came upon a realization
that I needed God in my life, that I had to restore my relationship with Him. I
did go to church, raised my hands in prayers to Him and before I knew it I was
already gaining confidence. I got to know people who were serving the Lord. I
joined them, immersed myself in God’s word, did my best to manifest Him in my
life and I survived. Now, I cannot say that God put an end to all of my
problems, that I will never again experience difficulties. However, as I know
that I have regained my faith in Him and have renewed my relationship with my
God, I can say that whatever problem life may throw upon me I will survive. God
is with me and He is my banner. Just like what He provided to the Israelites as
Moses’ hands were raised, He will give me strength for me to survive life’s
trials. He will give me wisdom that will enable me to come up with decisions
which benefit all. He will bestow upon me discernment that will make me
identify allies from enemies, that will direct me to the right path. He himself
is victory, thus making me claim such.
Promise to Claim: God grants
the prayers of those who manifest a steadfast faith in Him, of those who never
get weary in raising their hands as they pray and of those who seek assistance
from fellow Christians as the need arises. God is triumph and those who trust
His promises become victorious in all sorts of fight.
Command to Obey: Raise your
hands in prayer to God. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance from your fellows
when you feel weary. Never give in to
anything which may weaken your spirit and drive you away from your faith.
Warning to Heed: Weariness of the spirit brings us defeat, failure, grief.
Application: I will never
miss the opportunity of raising my hands to and for the Lord for I know that
through such act I worship Him and I honor Him in a manner that He deserves. Just
like Moses who had Aaron and Hur to raise his hands as he felt weary, I will
not be ashamed of asking my fellows’ advice or assistance as I feel the
weakening of my spirit and my faith. In pursuit of spiritual growth and
salvation, I will study God’s word, praise and worship God with them.
