So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning (Exodus 17:10-11).
In his devotions, Charles Spurgeon has this comment about the passage above, "So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed."
From this passage in the Bible and Spurgeon's commentary on it, we are reminded that our work always has two sides-the spiritual and the practical. It benefits us to keep them in balance.
The workings of a computer are not beyond the realms of prayer. We can ask for wisdom to understand computer manuals, to remember to slow down, to execute computer commands in their proper order. We can pray about what software to purchase and when; where to get training and for the resources to afford it. We can pray that we might learn all we need to complete our present tasks without overwhelming ourselves.
We can pray for insight as we create ministry communication pieces and that the Lord would prepare the hearts of those who read our message. We can encourage ourselves by remembering that the changing of lives is always, "‘Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6, NAS)
At the same time that we commit our ultimate success to the Lord, we must remember "both were needed." Joshua had to actually fight a bloody, dusty, horror-filled battle. There will be days that our work in ministry communications doesn't feel spiritual at all but is mundane, disciplined hard work. To do our jobs well, we don't stop praying, but we must also we must apply every earthly skill of business organization, communication, marketing, and computer training that we have to succeed in the battle entrusted to us.
________________________
from the book by Yvon Prehn, The Heart of Church Communications. To either download or purchase a copy, go to www.lulu.com/yvonprehn
