PRAYER & ACTION
MARTIN BOARDMAN
So Joshua did as Moses said , and fought the Amalekites , while Moses , Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill . [ and ] When Moses held up his hand , Israel prevailed …” ( Exodus 17:10-11 TLV )
There is a vital relationship between prayer and action , which is essential for any kind of ministry which seeks to advance the Kingdom of God . Prayer needs to be a foundational component of the work that is done , and it needs to be ongoing to sustain the work of the ministry .
John Calvin wrote about the necessity of prayer stating ,
“ Therefore we see that to us nothing is promised to be expected from the Lord , which we are not also bidden to ask of him in prayers .
So true is it that we dig up by prayer the treasures that we pointed out by the Lord ’ s gospel and which our faith has gazed upon .”
Prayer is needed to see those things which the Lord has said He would do , would in fact be realized . As a result , every aspect of ministry needs to be connected to the work of prayer .
The story of the battle at Rephidim ( Exodus 17 ) is a beautiful illustration of how prayer and action work together to advance God ’ s Kingdom . Moses does the work of prayer and Joshua is the one who engages in action on the ground . Within the narrative of Exodus 17 , Moses and his prayer team are seen engaging in the work of prayer and intercession . Joshua , with his army , are the one ’ s engaging in the physical
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