God Fights Our Battles

The journey of the children of Israel from Egypt and into the wilderness did not come without its trials and tribulations. First they went without food, then there was no water, and lastly a war broke out in Exodus, chapter 17. In all these things, God was their Savior and stepped in and responded to their murmurings. He did this by providing to them manna for bread and quail for meat to eat. Then, as they thirsted, God had Moses smite a rock and water came out of it for them to drink. This is that story. 1“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” (Exodus 17:1-3) You could see how they would feel this way. And because God is so good, he relieved them from their thirst. 1“The Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.” (Exodus 17:5,6) What an amazing miracle, indeed. How great is our God?

It was after the Lord rescued His children from starvation and dehydration, that a battle began among the camp of the children of Israel. Moses recorded, 1“then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. (Exodus 17:9-11) As you can see, when God’s hand is raised over the wicked, His people prevail. However, when He is not over those who believe, then they lose the battle. It is that simple. We cannot prevail in this life without His helping hand. Moses knew this well, as 1“Aaraon 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. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” (Exodus 17:12,13) Moses’s hand would not go down, no matter what. It was this perseverance that caused them to win the battle, for the Lord was fighting the battle for them. Now, if you are to know one thing, it is how important it is to remember God and allow Him to come to your rescue. This is why 1“the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears.” (Exodus 17:14) So never forget the importance of calling upon God in our troubles. He will surely come to our rescue.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that You will always be there for us. May we never forget to call upon Your Name, especially when we are in trouble. I know that if we just reach out to You, then You will fight the battle for us. We don’t have to struggle through trials on our own, but have Your comfort to ease the pain. Then, will Your peace give us clarity of the situation we are in and show us how to conquer our fears. We are surely weak without You, but are made strong with You in our lives. Nothing can cause us to doubt Your goodness, when You are the one moving inside of us. People can try to cause us to stumble, but we will continue to prevail because of our faith in You, Jesus. So write on our hearts a continual desire to know what You have taught in the Bible and lean on You in prayer. Then, will we find Your counsel and know how to follow Your commands. If you are with us, we will be safe from the enemy and know what true joy is like. Our own desires will only fail us and cause us to walk the path of sin and destruction all our days, unless we wake up to You in true faith. This belief in You is real, for every person that is humble enough allows the Holy Spirit to lead them. Your good works are then able to prevail in our lives and the fruits of our faith is shown. I know that You are the answer to all our problems, Lord. Because You are my Savior, I will never doubt the miracles You can do in my life. You are extraordinary in every form of the Word, therefore, You can do mighty things through me. I trust in You, Lord. I love You with my heart, mind and strength. Be with me always. Amen.

Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.

1Exodus 17 (KJV)
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 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.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
16 For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

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