The Necessity of Prayer

In Exodus 17 we find the story of a battle between the people of Israel and the Amalekites. Moses sent Joshua to lead the troops in battle. Meanwhile, Moses climbed up a hill, raised his staff, and interceded for Israel’s army.

When Moses held up his staff, Israel’s armies prevailed. But whenever his arms grew tired and he lowered the staff, the enemy prevailed.

Eventually, Aaron and Hur, who were with Moses, held up his hands until the sun went down. As a result, Israel won on the field of battle.

This illustrates how God’s Word (represented by Joshua’s sword) and prayer (symbolized by Moses’ staff) worked together. Someone had to go into battle with the sword. And someone had to pray.

The Book of Acts tells us that the leaders of the early church gave themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (see 6:4). And Jesus said, “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7 NLT).

The Word of God enlightens us, and prayer enables us. The Word of God reveals the will of God, and prayer enables us to do His will.

To grow spiritually and stand strong in the spiritual battle, we need a regular diet of God’s Word in our lives. But we also need to pray. The apostle Paul tells us, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).

The phrase “at all times and on every occasion” speaks of frequency. Prayer should be a regular part of our lives.

We need the Word of God, but we also need prayer. The Bible and prayer are inseparable.

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