This resolution of Daily United Prayer is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every day to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world.
"But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." Exodus 17:12.
This is one of the most exhilarating stories in the Old Testament that bring into sharp focus the relationship between the spiritual realm and the earthly realm. When Moses' hands were raised, Israel prevailed. But when Moses' hands dropped, the enemy prevailed. It reminds me of a sermon by Dr Cairns called simply, Much Prayer Much Blessing, Little Prayer Little Blessing, No Prayer No Blessing. I'd like to make three observations.
FIRST, it is abundantly clear from this passage that there is a direct correlation between our prevailing in prayer and our prevailing in human affairs. The raising of the hands in this instance symbolizes the intercession of Moses on the behalf of Israel. I wonder if we could grasp just how much our prayers affect the circumstances of life. The devil would have us to stop praying. But remember what was said of King Uzziah, "as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper" -- spiritually speaking.
SECOND, it should be noted that growing weary in prayer is as natural and inevitable as raised hands growing heavy due to gravity. You will find, if you haven't discovered already, that the longer we set ourselves to seek the Lord, the more difficult it will be. Weariness, lethargy, and a cooling of zeal is a natural phenomenon, and we should be alert to it.
FINALLY, the remedy to this kind of weariness in prayer is to engage ourselves in corporate prayer alongside God's people. Jonathan Edwards rightly refers to united prayer as a "proper guard against negligence and unsteadiness." Personally, I have found that the discipline of corporate prayer will often be the means of steadying my own prayer life -- just as much as Aaron and Hur were the means of steadying Moses' hands. I believe the Lord intends it to be so. We were never meant to live as an island to ourselves. And the more we withdraw spiritually, the weaker we become.
Meditate on this fascinating story for yourself and may the Lord impress upon us all the vital importance of united prayer to keep our hands "steady until the going down of the sun."
DAILY UNITED PRAYER unitedprayer.net
Mon-Fri @ 12pm EDT // Sat @ 10am EDT
We invite you to join our dedicated and earnest group of praying participants of all ages from around the world that meet every day over Zoom to pray. At the start of each prayer call, a different individual will bring a brief Scriptural meditation. Here's the most recent:
