1 Maccabees 5:28-34: a reflection

28Judas and his army turned suddenly by the way of the wilderness to Bosora; and he took the city, and killed all the males with the edge of the sword, took all their spoils, and burned the city with fire. 29He left there at night, and went until he came to the stronghold. 30When the morning came, they lifted up their eyes and saw many people who couldn’t be counted, bearing ladders and engines of war, to take the stronghold; and they were fighting against them. 31Judas saw that the battle had begun, and that the cry of the city went up to heaven, with trumpets and a great sound, 32and he said to the men of his army, “Fight today for your kindred!” 33Then he went out behind them in three companies. They sounded with their trumpets and cried out in prayer. 34And the army of Timotheus perceived that it was Maccabaeus, and they fled from before him. He struck them with a great slaughter. About eight thousand men of them fell on that day.

In this account, Judas Maccabeus and his army come suddenly upon a large enemy force. As the battle begins, with the noise of the assault rising and trumpets sounding, Judas and his men do a striking thing: they go into the fight, and as they go, they cry out to God in prayer. They do not choose between fighting and praying; they do both at once, throwing themselves into the battle while calling on God for help.

Notice how they joined action and prayer. They did not simply rely on their own effort and courage, going into battle trusting only in their swords; nor did they merely pray and do nothing. They fought, and they prayed, at the same time, giving their full effort to the task while crying out to God in the midst of it. Their prayer and their action went together, each accompanying the other.

That is a wise pattern for our own struggles. We can be tempted to rely on our own effort alone, throwing ourselves into a task while forgetting to pray; or, less often, to pray while neglecting the effort God calls us to make. But these men show a better way: to give our full effort and to pray in the midst of it, joining action and dependence on God. When you face a struggle or a task, do not choose between working hard and praying. Do both, as they did; give your best effort, and cry out to God as you go. Let your action be soaked in prayer, and your prayer joined to real effort, trusting God even as you do your part. Work and pray together, as those who both labor and depend on God.

Lord, as Judas and his men went into battle, they cried out to you in prayer, joining their full effort with earnest dependence on you, doing both at once. Teach me that pattern in my own struggles. I can be tempted to rely on my own effort alone, throwing myself into a task while forgetting to pray; or, less often, to pray while neglecting the effort you call me to make. But these men show me a better way: to give my full effort and to pray in the midst of it, joining action and dependence on you. When I face a struggle or a task, keep me from choosing between working hard and praying. Help me do both, giving my best effort and crying out to you as I go. Let my action be soaked in prayer, and my prayer joined to real effort, trusting you even as I do my part. Help me work and pray together, as one who both labors and depends on you.