And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:11

The Israelites were being attacked by the Amalekites. Joshua was down in the valley leading the troops in military combat. Moses, flanked by Aaron and Hur, was atop a nearby hill where the battle could be observed. Moses prayed, symbolized by lifting his hands. When Moses prayed, the Israelites gained victory. When Moses’ arms tired and he stopped praying, the Israelites slumped toward defeat.

Joshua and the fighting men were important, but clearly the decisive factor was prayer.

The decisive factor is always prayer.

When Moses grew weary in prayer symbolized by dropping his hands, two men, Aaron and Hur stood by and held up his arms, symbolizing that they joined him in the all-important prayer meeting.

There are times to be alone for prayer. There are also times for group prayer. I pray not that you would merely pray and participate in prayer meetings. I pray that you would sense the desperate need for prayer—both individual and group prayer—and that awareness would move you to pray—alone, and in prayer meetings.

Who knows what battles we may be losing in the spiritual realm because of a lack of prayer?