Word of Encouragement (06/22/2023)
At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. (Josh. 10:12-13)
Now, we finally get to reflect on Joshua’s prayer. The Gibeonites issued an SOS to Israel when the five Amorite kings attacked them. To honor the treaty, Joshua and the people of Israel came to their rescue. This prayer was offered during the battle that ensued. (Even though this was a command to the sun, we know that this was an indirect prayer to God, who alone can make this happen.) Israel was winning with the help of God, who threw down large stones on the five-nation Canaanite alliance (10:11), and Joshua wanted to finish them off before they had to stop fighting because of darkness. So, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still until he destroyed the enemies. What an audacious prayer!
What made this prayer so audacious was not what Joshua prayed for. We can easily see ourselves wishing for something that big. Who of us has not wished that the good time we are enjoying will never come to an end? Or that we could go back in time and undo the critical mistake we made in the past? But what Joshua did was much more than engaging in wishful thinking privately in his mind. He commanded the sun to stand still “in the sight of Israel” (v. 12). He put the authority of his leadership on the line when he uttered these words in public. Imagine what the people would have thought of him if the sun did not stand still. It was not a time to make some silly jokes for fun. They were fighting a mortal battle! He would have been a laughingstock. How can we not be impressed by his bold faith?
But “bold” faith is what God deserves from all of us, isn’t it? We worship an almighty God, who created all things out of nothing. What “bold” request of ours can be too difficult for God? “Thou art coming to a King / Large petitions with the bring. / For His grace and power are such / None can ever ask too much...” (John Newton). G.K. Chesterton said, “The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.”
And it is not that we will be put to shame should our audacious prayer not be answered—unless we claim to be prophets. If our prayers are not according to God’s will, even “small” prayers won’t be answered. But if our prayers are according to God’s will, no prayer can be too big—Joshua’s prayer is an example of this. So, you see, our problem is not that our prayers are too big; it’s the opposite due to our small faith. Matthew Henry suggests how Joshua came to pray such a prayer:
“No doubt Joshua had an extraordinary impulse or impression upon his spirit, which he knew to be of divine origin, prompting him to desire that this miracle might be wrought upon this occasion, else it would have been presumption in him to desire or expect [presumption, not because he asked for a miracle of this scale but because of the (public) manner in which he did]; the prayer would not have been granted by the divine power, if it had not been dictated by the divine grace. God wrought this faith in him....’”
God prompted Joshua to pray this prayer to solidify his position as Israel’s leader and God’s servant (10:8). But the miracle of Joshua's extended day was a short glimpse of the eschatological era in heaven. As John tells us in Revelation, there will be no night there because all the glorified saints will see the face of Christ, whose glory will replace the sun and the moon and the stars there in heaven (Rev. 22:4-5). He who was able to extend the daylight for a day can, and will, extend it for all eternity by the light of His glory! And we will bask in the warmth and glory of His light forever, never subject to the shame and misery of darkness, ever!
May the Lord expand the sanctified imagination of our faith so that we may pray in a manner worthy of the great God we serve and worship!