The Second Happy by Pastor Kevin MyersSample

Get Your Hands Up!

Most people underestimate the power of prayer, and they don’t understand it. They see it as a religious activity, separate from the other parts of their life. They think there is a wall dividing the spiritual world from the physical world. 

But those two worlds—the unseen and the seen—cannot be separated. Those two worlds always work together and influence one another. If you want to have a successful marriage, you need to knock down that imaginary wall and enlist God’s help through prayer so you can win everyday battles.

The best picture in Scripture of this interaction between the spiritual and physical can be seen in Exodus 17. Joshua, Moses’s right-hand man, commanded the Israelites for the first time in battle. As the Israelites fought, Moses prayed, and God was answering his prayer. But when Moses grew weary and let his hands drop to his sides, the Amalekites gained the upper hand. When Moses raised his hands back up, the battle turned. “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning” (v. 11).

I wonder how long it took for Moses to figure this out. Did he notice it first, or did Aaron or Hur, the men who went to the top of the hill with him? Did they have a hard time believing their eyes? Did they wonder how a real-world physical battle could be controlled by the hands-up battle of prayer? We know somebody figured it out because the passage says, “When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset” (v. 12).

No one who is married can afford to miss this. Prayer was not supplemental to winning the battle; it was instrumental. Too often we see prayer as passive, but it’s not. It’s vital. It’s foundational. It’s as critical to victory as Joshua and the fighters on the battlefield. Moses recognized there would be no victory unless he contended in hands-up prayer.

Have you figured out what Moses did yet? If you want to win in your marriage the way Moses and Joshua won in their battle, prayer isn’t optional. It’s a necessity. It’s life or death! Prayer was the only hope for Moses. It was the only hope for Marcia and me. And it is the only hope for you.

Become a warrior who fights for your marriage, but remember that prayer is more than half of the battle.

Prayer: Lord, teach me the true value of prayer. Help me to pray for my spouse. And reveal how my time with you makes a positive difference in the physical world.