The Sun and the Moon Stood Still

"Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalo.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, til the people had revenge upon their enemies."
(Joshua 10:12,13)

Let me set the scene for you.

The Israelites were on the move under the leadership of Joshua. They had just defeated Jericho and Ai. The army of Gibeon surrendered and ultimately made peace with the children of Israel. Things were looking good...

Little by little, God's people were possessing the land.

This infuriated the Amorites, especially the surrender of Gibeon. The Amorites hated Israel. They were governed by five kings who joined forces and went up to camp before Gibeon and make war against them.

The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua, "Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us." (10:6)

Have you ever felt that way? Have you felt like all the armies of hell have gathered against you? I certainly have.

Let's go on. How did the Lord respond to this dilemma?

Verse 8: "And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.'"

Joshua was strengthened by God's assurance of victory, but he knew he did not have the luxury of just sitting back and watching the battle. Joshua knew HE would have to fight to possess the promise of God.

The battle ensued. The Lord was in their midst, victory was in sight, but the end of daylight was growing near.

What did Joshua do? He PRAYED! He prayed with the authority of one who knows he is a child of God. He spoke directly to the sun and moon and commanded them to stand still so that daylight would not leave them.

And Joshua's prayer of faith touched the heart of God.

Through God's omnipotent power, the sun and moon stood still. Daylight lingered and the victory was won.

What is the take-away here?

This story parallels our Christian walk. Think about it. Joshua and the children of Israel had won some mighty battles. They had already conquered Jericho and Ai. Gibeon had surrendered and were at peace with Israel. The Children of God were advancing toward their kingdom. I would imagine the children of God were sitting pretty in their triumphs. Then out of the blue, five Amorite kings attack Gibeon to punish them and to block Israel's advance toward their Promised Land.

Isn't that just like Satan? When we are moving forward for Christ, he is thinking up new weapons of warfare to defeat us. It is important to see our Christian journey through spiritual eyes. It is foolish to deny the truth of spiritual warfare.

But Beloved, you have been given authority through the blood of Jesus to overcome the work of the enemy. At the name of Jesus, Satan must flee. The victory belongs to you!

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - OUR FAITH!"

Amen? Amen...so be it!

Lord, You are God of the mountains and God of the valley. You never leave Your child alone to fend for ourselves. Help us to realize that we need only to pray and listen for Your instructions. Then we need to step out in faith to obey Your voice. That's the hard part. We believe, but help us with our unbelief. Lord, You are awesome in power, mighty in victory. Thank You Lord. If God be for me, who can be against me? Our God reigns!