Not in my own strength

My little man (3yo) came to me just as I was finishing cleaning the kitchen this morning, with a Children's Bible open in his hand. He'd found a picture of the Israelites fighting the Amalekites and asked if I could read the story to him. It was the story from Exodus 17-

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
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. 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. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

What a story!  There are so many lessons in it. 
What a picture of the power there is in prayer. 

• To be humble enough to ask my brothers for help when my own strength fails.
• To uphold one another in prayer.
• To continue in prayer until victory has been attained.  No matter how strong the "Amelekites" in my life may seem, God will give me the ultimate victory if I seek His help.
• To praise God and give Him glory for what he has acheived in answer to prayer.

Children truly are a gift from the Lord- they bless us in so many ways, and this morning God used my son to remind me that  though “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”