In Exodus, we follow the children of Israel on the initial stages of their journey to the Promised Land, as God teaches them the basics—the “101” courses—of knowing and walking with him. God is not simply trying to take his people to the Promised Land; he’s trying to put the Promised Land into them.
One of the foundational lessons from Exodus comes to us courtesy of some Miley Cyrus lyrics: “Put [your] hands up.” Exodus 17:8–9a says, “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek’” (ESV). One quick note here: At this point in the biblical narrative, we’re in a stage where God empowers Israel to literally fight against its enemies. That’s not how God calls his people to engage the world today. Our enemies are not people from other nations, but the powers of darkness and hell. And we follow a Savior who, rather than killing his enemies, died for his enemies … and asked us to do the same.
Alright, back to the story. Moses and Joshua are fighting the Amalekites. The important question for us is, How is God’s power going to show up in this fight? The passage continues with Moses offering a bizarre image:
“Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (Exodus 17:9b–12)
Here’s the lesson: God’s power comes to his people through intercession. Intercession is just a fancy name for prayer—where one person appeals to God on behalf of someone else. More important than the guys out on the field fighting is the one up on the mountain praying. When Moses’ hands are up in the air, they win; when they’re down, they lose. (It makes you wonder what would have happened if Moses had started to do jumping jacks, right? Win, lose. Win, lose.) But Moses’ hands get tired, so Aaron and Hur literally stand beside him and hold up his arms.
What’s the deciding factor in this battle? It’s not the skill of the fighters, or even the leadership of Moses; it’s the power of God, and it flows through Moses’ hands raised in intercession, which makes Aaron and Hur this day’s “players of the game.”
Let me state the obvious: We also are in a battle. The Christian life is a spiritual battle, with spiritual wickedness in high places that is set on deceiving and destroying. And the only key to overcoming those things is prayer.
Think of Moses again. Picture him there, a man on top of a mountain with his hands raised and two people on either side of him. Does that remind you of anything? Calvary.
Jesus is the main intercessor. His intercession from the cross stands as the constant hope of the church. Jesus never dropped his hands until the victory was won!
When we realize that Jesus was the ultimate intercessor for the church, pleading his finished work on our behalf, everything about our prayers is transformed. For one thing, we begin to understand what it means to pray in Jesus’ name.
I’m sure you’ve used that phrase. When you pray, you often conclude your prayers with the words “in Jesus’ name.” But have you ever stopped to consider why you say that? It’s not just a signal to God that we’re about done. A lot of Christians use this phrase like you’d use “sincerely” to close a letter. No, when you say “in Jesus’ name,” you’re saying, “God, I’m asking you to grant this because of who Jesus is and what he accomplished, and what his intentions for the world are.”
John 16:24 tells us that before Jesus left, he said: “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” In prayer, I’m literally asking, as Jesus’ representative, based on what he’s earned. When I pray, sometimes I find it helpful to imagine what Jesus would pray if he were in the situation I’m in—to consider what he would ask the Father for, and then pray it in his name, as his representative. That’s what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. It means to pray “in his place.”
The problem with our prayers isn’t that they are too big; they are usually way, way, way too weak and too small. Or they are focused on our agenda, instead of God’s–which, again, makes them tiny and pathetic.
Years ago, I wrote a four-part prayer called “The Gospel Prayer,” to help ground me in the reality of the gospel every day. Part of that prayer is this line: “As I pray, I’ll measure your willingness to save by the cross and your power to save by the resurrection.” This is the filter I choose to use. What would Jesus want in this situation, and what resources would he bring to it?
According to legend, one of Alexander the Great’s generals approached him after many years of service and asked if Alexander would pay for his daughter’s wedding. Considering the general’s loyalty, it seemed a rather small request, so Alexander agreed. Alexander told the general to request the funds from his treasurer.
Alarmed, the treasurer returned to Alexander and told him that the general was requesting funds for the most extravagant wedding Greece had ever seen. Clearly, the treasurer said, the general was abusing his generosity. Alexander thought for a moment, then said, “Give it to him. For my general pays me two honors. First, he believes that I am rich enough to afford his request, and second, that I am generous enough to grant it.” In the same way, God is honored when we expect great things of him. That’s what it means to pray in Jesus’ name.
John Newton, writer of “Amazing Grace,” wrote another, lesser-known hymn about prayer, and it has these great words:
Thou art coming to a King,
So with thee large petitions bring.
For his grace and power are such
That none can ever ask too much.
God may tell you no. He may tell you to wait. But what he will never say is, “That was too ambitious.” So quit praying safe, little prayers, and be bold! Jesus died to give you access to the Father, and he wants you to join him in praying audacious prayers—for your family, for your community, for your world.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. He leads the Summit in a bold vision to plant one thousand new churches by the year 2050. Pastor J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A since January 2022 and recently served as the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor J.D. and his wife Veronica are raising four awesome kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon. This article has been republished with permission from the J.D. Greear website and is under copyright law. It may not be republished without express written consent by J.D. Greear Ministries Team. J.D. Greear is the author of 27 Books including his newest book, Everyday Revolutionary: How to Transcend the Culture War and Transform the World.
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