Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Day 15
So
Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur
went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites
were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
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. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite
army with the sword.
Exodus 17:10-13
There are moments in life where you
lack the ability to pray for yourself.
You lack the faith. You lack the patience. You lack the strength. That's when you need a prayer partner or
prayer circle to hold up your arms like Aaron and Hur. Who is your Aaron and
Hur? In other words, who is interceding
on your behalf and holding up your arms?
Who is your Moses? Who are you
lifting up in prayer?
I'm so grateful for the Prayer
Circle at National Community Church that has been praying for me with great
specificity, intensity, and consistency since I began writing my first
published book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. I don't think I would have had the endurance
to finish it if they had not endured in prayer.
They held up my arms! And I don't
think God would have used my books like He has without their unceasing
prayers. One of the targeted prayers
we've prayed for each of my books has been this: "let it get into the
right hands at the right time."
That prayer has been answered thousands and thousands of times. Some of
supernatural synchronicities that are the byproduct of those prayers are
nothing short of miraculous! I never
cease to be amazed at the stories people tell of getting a book during a
critical season when they needed to make a tough decision, needed some hope to
hang on to, needed a boost to their faith, needed to know that God was still on
the throne.
One of my prayers for The Circle
Maker is that people wouldn't just read it by themselves. I'm praying that prayer circles would form.
I'm praying that small groups would become prayer groups. I'm praying that
friendships would go deeper and grow stronger as they covenant to pray for one
another. I'm praying that churches would gather for corporate prayer to hold
each other accountable.
Do we believe what Jesus promised in
Matthew 18:18-20?
Truly
I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if
two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them
by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I
with them.
Mark
Batterson-Circle Maker
