Morning and Evening

April 16, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." — Exodus 17:12 · KJV

So mighty was the prayer of Moses that all depended on it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua; yet both were needed. Indeed, in the soul's conflict, force and fervor, decision and devotion, valor and vehemence must join their forces, and all will be well. You must wrestle with your sin, but the greater part of the wrestling must be done alone, in private, with God. Prayer, like Moses', holds up the token of the covenant before the Lord. The rod was the emblem of God's working with Moses, the symbol of God's government in Israel. Learn, O pleading saint, to hold up the promise and the oath of God before Him. The Lord cannot deny His own declarations. Hold up the rod of promise, and have what you will. Moses grew weary, and then his friends assisted him. Whenever your prayer flags, let faith support one hand, and let holy hope uplift the other; and prayer, seating itself on the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation, will persevere and prevail. Beware of faintness in devotion; if Moses felt it, who can escape? It is far easier to fight with sin in public than to pray against it in private. It is noted that Joshua never grew weary in the fighting, but Moses did grow weary in the praying; the more spiritual an exercise, the harder it is for flesh and blood to maintain it. Let us cry, then, for special strength; and may the Spirit of God, who helps our infirmities, as He helped Moses, enable us, like him, to keep our hands steady "until the going down of the sun" — till the evening of life is over, till we come to the rising of a better sun in the land where prayer is swallowed up in praise.

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