So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill (11);

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword (13).

Here is the power of prevailing prayer.

I believe that although all Christians are called to pray, some are called to a very deep place in prayer  – a place beyond just ‘saying prayers’. That is not to belittle saying prayers by the way. Paul writes that there are “all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). It’s a matter of the Spirit’s leading and equipping (see the first part of Eph.6:18). But in my view, if you read for example, the book about Rees Howells: ‘Intercessor’, you will see that some individuals like him, are led into this deep place. There is something attractive about it, but you are not long into such a season of prayer before you are aware of being in an intense battle. It’s not easy and can be exhausting, as we will see tomorrow.

Nevertheless, let’s not miss the point that this story illustrates the power of such prevailing prayer.

‘The fight may have taken place in the valley but the victory was won on the mountain (10b-12). Joshua did the fighting and conquered the enemy (10a, 13), but it was Moses who won the battle (11-12). This is not to say that the battle in the valley was not ‘real’ and costly…’

However…

‘The sustained prayer of Moses was the secret ingredient securing the military victory of Joshua. This…is an abiding scriptural truth, as the hymn expresses it:

Work as if on that alone hung the issue of the day;

Pray that help may be sent down: watch and pray.’ (Alec Motyer: ‘The message of Exodus’, pp.162, 163).