The Importance of Prayer and of Needing Assistance from Others

In today's first reading, Exodus 17: 8-13, we are given the story of the battle the Amalekites had come to wage against the Israelites.  Moses then ordered Joshua to choose certain men and engage the Amalekites in battle. He promised to enter into prayer:  "I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand....As long as Moses kept his hands raised up [in prayer], Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so [Aaron and Hur, who were with him,] put a rock in place for [Moses] to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported  his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands, remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."

What do we learn from this Scripture passage?  First of all, that in no way are you and I able to wage battle against the enemies of our souls without the help of others. We need to choose the right people to assist us in the battle against Satan.  Alone, we will lose the battle! and if we surround ourselves with the "wrong" persons, we are also in danger of succumbing to temptation.  Secondly, intercessory prayer and our own recourse to prayer is essential to our success in overcoming temptations.  "As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight."  Thirdly, weariness is not an excuse to abandon prayer. If  necessary, sit down and rest but do not stop praying. Fourthly, engage partners to assist us in praying for God's mercy and strength to sustain the battles we face on our way to eternal life! Fifthly, pray for the humility to ask for help, to acknowledge our need for prayer partners.

Lord God, forgive us when we forget the importance of prayer and of asking for help to wage war against Satan.  Forgive us when we let pride dominate our attitudes and thus fail to acknowledge that we need others to help us in the battles we face that threaten our resolve to do good and avoid evil.