Five cities and five kings besiege Gibeon, Israel’s new servants. Israel comes to their defense, and God gives Israel victory.
“And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them… and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord… and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’ And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.” (v11-13 abr)
In this truly miraculous victory (just like Jericho) there must be no doubt in Israel’s mind (and the minds of their enemies) that the God of Israel is all-powerful. He slays their enemies with hailstones and causes time to stand still so they can continue the fight in daylight (that was literally a long day for Israel…).
Have you ever prayed for something so completely outlandish, that most would mock your “foolishness”? Joshua has the courage to pray (in front of all of Israel, by the way) for God to stop the sun and moon in their place – and God does so. Do we pray “big” prayers like this, for the impossible or miraculous?
If we’re not praying for miracles, then I would venture to say we’re not expecting much from God. If we only pray “small” prayers (please help me pass this test, or please help me find my dog) then we’re not really inviting God to work miracles and more importantly, for Him to be glorified in the eyes of this world.
My challenge for today is in addition to regular “small” prayers, also pray for the miraculous, the things only possible for God to accomplish. Examples could be curing an incurable disease, resolving the poverty in our city, salvation for our world leaders, etc. There is no limit to God’s power, so why should we limit what we pray for? Let’s not limit God by the way we pray.
One further note: I also encourage us to remove “tentative language” from our prayers. Try to avoid talking to God using phrases like “if you could please” or “I’d like it if” or “it would be nice”. Let’s address God boldly, without hesitation. Joshua boldly commanded the sun and moon to stop. While remaining respectful, let’s pray as if we believe God will answer the prayer, such as “Thank you in advance for healing my friend’s cancer”.
Father God, Almighty King of Israel, great and powerful is Your name. All of heaven and earth obey Your voice, for You are the Creator God. Father please open our minds and hearts to be bold and courageous, to pray for miracles so that You may be glorified in the eyes of this world. We glorify You for Your answers to prayers, both big and small, for You are worthy of our praise. In the life-giving name of Jesus, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training