"God heeded the voice of man" Joshua 10:14
There are numerous scriptures and stories throughout the Bible
that encourage us to pray. Prayer is so important in our lives as Christians,
yet it often gets reduced to either 911-type cries for help or routine words
that we are accustomed to praying. In the case of Joshua and the battle with
the Amorites, he asked the Lord for a miracle of major proportions. Joshua
dared to ask God that the sun would not set until their enemies were defeated.
Not only did God answer Joshua's prayer but verse 14 further states that
"there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord
heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." The Lord
listened and responded to the voice of man.
Does God heed the voice of man today? James 5:16 says that the
effective fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much. Jesus tells us to
ask, seek and knock and that whatever we ask in His name will be given. The key
to answered prayers, however, is in praying God's will. Because we have the
Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we can know how to pray God's will for our
lives (I should add "better know" because there are still times when
we all struggle to truly understand how to pray the will of God.) But regardless
of what we know or how we pray, the point is that we need to pray to the Lord
for everything. We should not hold back from asking the Lord for anything we
want. It is up to Him to decide if or how He answers.
This day in Joshua's life was extraordinary to say the least.
God gave him extra daylight time to completely destroy the five kings who had
fled from him. God not only answered Joshua's prayer, but He divinely
intervened in this battle Himself. When God has a plan, no one can thwart or
hinder what He is going to do. Sometimes we need to pray just for peace in the
situation we are in, knowing that the Lord will have His way no matter what we
do or do not do. God kept His promises to Joshua and the Israelites and He
demonstrated His faithfulness to them in amazing ways.
Is this the same God in our lives today? Absolutely! Do not stop
praying and do not allow the enemy to hinder your faith in your prayers. The
Lord may not extend our days by keeping the sun from setting, but there are
miracles that He does perform in our lives that hold just as much impact. Has
God given you promises? Believe in faith that He will fulfill them in your
life, maybe not in your timing or by your methods, but in His. He is the same
God today as He was to Joshua. Are you expecting the same of Him?
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
Just remember, God is alway there