Day 10 - Ask for the Impossible
Day 10 - Ask for the Impossible
SCRIPTURE
6 The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.” 7 So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. 8 “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” 9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! (Joshua 10: 6-14, NLT)
DEVOTIONAL
I hate to fly–it terrifies me. As soon as I step foot onto a plane, all I can think of is that I am trapped in a steel tube of death that feels as if it could hurtle to the ground at any moment when it is rocked by the slightest bit of turbulence. However, when I am firmly planted on the ground, looking up at a plane flying smoothly through the sky, I can begin to believe that flying is actually safe and enjoyable. Perspective matters. And so often, when it comes to our prayer lives, our perspectives of the problems and situations we face are overblown, and our perspective of the God to whom we pray, is incredibly miniscule. We need to right-size our perspective of who God is and what He is capable of by asking for the impossible from the God of the Impossible!
In our passage today, Joshua is leading the Israelite people in a battle against five pagan nations that have joined forces against them. The way we see Joshua pray in this passage should be a model for us to begin to pray BIG, seemingly impossible prayers; we must have the correct perspective of the God to whom we pray!
In verse 8, the Lord promises victory to the Israelites; though the enemy is huge and powerful, God promises Israel will prevail! And, Joshua took the Lord at His Word, because he was well-acquainted with the power and faithfulness of His God! Joshua was with Moses at the parting of the Red Sea, watching as the Lord did the impossible to rescue His people from Pharaoh and his armies. And after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land and watched as God caused the walls of Jericho to crumble before them and gave the people of the city into their hands! Joshua KNEW that God kept His promises, so He trusted the Lord to give them victory–He knew He was capable of making the impossible possible. In the same way, we KNOW that NOTHING is impossible with God (Luke 1:37), because of Jesus! Jesus Himself was born out of seemingly impossible circumstances (a virgin birth), lived a sinless life (something impossible for mere men), died and rose again, a feat only possible by the power of God! If we know Christ, His victory over sin and death has given us victory! So, we don’t live or pray from a place of defeat because our perspective changes; we know that our circumstances are not bigger than what our God is capable of! The problems in your marriage, the financial struggle, the addiction, the cancer diagnosis, the wayward child–none of these things are greater than the God who is fighting for you and who has given you victory in Jesus, and that should change the way you pray! You can pray with confidence and hope because the ultimate victory has already been won!
God can do much more than we could ever hope to do in our own strength–Joshua and his men could have fought with all their might, but the victory wouldn’t have been theirs without the work of the Lord on their behalf! He threw the enemy into a panic and rained down hail on their army and killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword (v. 10-11). The battle really belonged to the Lord, so Joshua and the people of God merely had to trust Him to fight for them and then walk in obedience to whatever He called them to do. That’s what we must do, too–we can’t ask the Lord to move and then sit around waiting on Him, without ever entering into the fight ourselves. We pray and then do the hard work of counseling, or getting out of debt, or undergoing treatment, but do those things knowing that the Lord ultimately decides how the battle is won!
We see the incredible faith of Joshua in verses 12-14; he prayed for the sun to stand still! Joshua prayed for God to alter the way the entire universe operated in order to accomplish the victory over their enemies! Joshua boldly asked for the impossible, because he knew God was able to accomplish it! So often, we are content to pray small, weak prayers, and we don’t come to God asking for BIG, audacious, and impossible things! We need to be reminded of the correct perspective of our God–He is victorious (and so are we, in Christ!), our battles and their outcomes truly belong to Him, and He is able to do much more than we could ask or imagine! When we pray BIG prayers, we show that we trust God fully, and we see miracles in our midst because He moves!
ACTION STEP
What do you need God to do in your life during this time of fasting and prayer? What do you want to see God do in our church during these days? How does your perspective of your circumstances or your God need to change? Maybe you need to spend time remembering how God has done the impossible in your life before, in order to remind you of His ability to do it again; consider drawing a timeline of your life thus far and splitting it into quarters. In each quarter, list as many answered prayers and supernatural moves of God from that time period as you can. Spend some time searching Scripture for reminders of the truth of who God is; keep a list on your bathroom mirror or in your Bible or journal of the characteristics of God you see in Scripture (ie; Healer, Deliverer, Promise-keeper, etc.), so your perspective remains grounded in the greatness of God, instead of the overwhelming nature of your circumstances.
PRAYER TIME
Spend time thanking God for His past faithfulness and asking Him to move now in bigger ways than you can even imagine. Ask Him to help you pray bold, audacious prayers in faith, trusting that He can and will accomplish His will for your good!
Father, you are SO much bigger and greater than I can fully comprehend! Help me to pray BIG, God-sized prayers and trust you to answer them, according to your will! Would you move in power in my life, in my circumstances, and in our church–BLOW UP our perspective of who you are, and shrink our perspectives of the struggles and circumstances we face to be right-sized in comparison with Your greatness and might! You are able! I trust you and will obey whatever you ask me to do. Make the impossible possible. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
6 The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.” 7 So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. 8 “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” 9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! (Joshua 10: 6-14, NLT)
DEVOTIONAL
I hate to fly–it terrifies me. As soon as I step foot onto a plane, all I can think of is that I am trapped in a steel tube of death that feels as if it could hurtle to the ground at any moment when it is rocked by the slightest bit of turbulence. However, when I am firmly planted on the ground, looking up at a plane flying smoothly through the sky, I can begin to believe that flying is actually safe and enjoyable. Perspective matters. And so often, when it comes to our prayer lives, our perspectives of the problems and situations we face are overblown, and our perspective of the God to whom we pray, is incredibly miniscule. We need to right-size our perspective of who God is and what He is capable of by asking for the impossible from the God of the Impossible!
In our passage today, Joshua is leading the Israelite people in a battle against five pagan nations that have joined forces against them. The way we see Joshua pray in this passage should be a model for us to begin to pray BIG, seemingly impossible prayers; we must have the correct perspective of the God to whom we pray!
In verse 8, the Lord promises victory to the Israelites; though the enemy is huge and powerful, God promises Israel will prevail! And, Joshua took the Lord at His Word, because he was well-acquainted with the power and faithfulness of His God! Joshua was with Moses at the parting of the Red Sea, watching as the Lord did the impossible to rescue His people from Pharaoh and his armies. And after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land and watched as God caused the walls of Jericho to crumble before them and gave the people of the city into their hands! Joshua KNEW that God kept His promises, so He trusted the Lord to give them victory–He knew He was capable of making the impossible possible. In the same way, we KNOW that NOTHING is impossible with God (Luke 1:37), because of Jesus! Jesus Himself was born out of seemingly impossible circumstances (a virgin birth), lived a sinless life (something impossible for mere men), died and rose again, a feat only possible by the power of God! If we know Christ, His victory over sin and death has given us victory! So, we don’t live or pray from a place of defeat because our perspective changes; we know that our circumstances are not bigger than what our God is capable of! The problems in your marriage, the financial struggle, the addiction, the cancer diagnosis, the wayward child–none of these things are greater than the God who is fighting for you and who has given you victory in Jesus, and that should change the way you pray! You can pray with confidence and hope because the ultimate victory has already been won!
God can do much more than we could ever hope to do in our own strength–Joshua and his men could have fought with all their might, but the victory wouldn’t have been theirs without the work of the Lord on their behalf! He threw the enemy into a panic and rained down hail on their army and killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword (v. 10-11). The battle really belonged to the Lord, so Joshua and the people of God merely had to trust Him to fight for them and then walk in obedience to whatever He called them to do. That’s what we must do, too–we can’t ask the Lord to move and then sit around waiting on Him, without ever entering into the fight ourselves. We pray and then do the hard work of counseling, or getting out of debt, or undergoing treatment, but do those things knowing that the Lord ultimately decides how the battle is won!
We see the incredible faith of Joshua in verses 12-14; he prayed for the sun to stand still! Joshua prayed for God to alter the way the entire universe operated in order to accomplish the victory over their enemies! Joshua boldly asked for the impossible, because he knew God was able to accomplish it! So often, we are content to pray small, weak prayers, and we don’t come to God asking for BIG, audacious, and impossible things! We need to be reminded of the correct perspective of our God–He is victorious (and so are we, in Christ!), our battles and their outcomes truly belong to Him, and He is able to do much more than we could ask or imagine! When we pray BIG prayers, we show that we trust God fully, and we see miracles in our midst because He moves!
ACTION STEP
What do you need God to do in your life during this time of fasting and prayer? What do you want to see God do in our church during these days? How does your perspective of your circumstances or your God need to change? Maybe you need to spend time remembering how God has done the impossible in your life before, in order to remind you of His ability to do it again; consider drawing a timeline of your life thus far and splitting it into quarters. In each quarter, list as many answered prayers and supernatural moves of God from that time period as you can. Spend some time searching Scripture for reminders of the truth of who God is; keep a list on your bathroom mirror or in your Bible or journal of the characteristics of God you see in Scripture (ie; Healer, Deliverer, Promise-keeper, etc.), so your perspective remains grounded in the greatness of God, instead of the overwhelming nature of your circumstances.
PRAYER TIME
Spend time thanking God for His past faithfulness and asking Him to move now in bigger ways than you can even imagine. Ask Him to help you pray bold, audacious prayers in faith, trusting that He can and will accomplish His will for your good!
Father, you are SO much bigger and greater than I can fully comprehend! Help me to pray BIG, God-sized prayers and trust you to answer them, according to your will! Would you move in power in my life, in my circumstances, and in our church–BLOW UP our perspective of who you are, and shrink our perspectives of the struggles and circumstances we face to be right-sized in comparison with Your greatness and might! You are able! I trust you and will obey whatever you ask me to do. Make the impossible possible. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Posted in 28 Days of Prayer and Fasting
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January
January 9th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 10th, 2023 - The Burning BushJanuary 11th, 2023 - Strong and Courageous January 12th, 2023 - Obediently Set ApartJanuary 13th, 2023 - Faithful Among Enemy NationsJanuary 14th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 16th, 2023 - Be StillJanuary 17th, 2023 - God Inhabits His PraisesJanuary 18th, 2023 - Enjoying God's PresenceJanuary 19th, 2023 - Broken & Contrite HeartJanuary 20th, 2023 - Asking for OthersJanuary 21st, 2023 - Petition and ProvisionJanuary 23rd, 2023 - One Body, Many PartsJanuary 24th, 2023 - Love One AnotherJanuary 25th, 2023 - Unity in the BodyJanuary 26th, 2023 - Consider Others BetterJanuary 27th, 2023 - Living in the LightJanuary 28th, 2023 - Don't Let Anger Control YouJanuary 30, 2023 - The Power of FastingJanuary 31st, 2023 - Pray as You Can
February
February 1st, 2023 - ScriptureFebruary 2nd, 2023 - Sabbath Day, Best DayFebruary 3rd, 2023 - SimplicityFebruary 4th, 2023 - WorshipFebruary 6th, 2023 - Love Your NeighborFebruary 7th, 2023 - Come and See, Go and TellFebruary 8th, 2023 - GenerosityFebruary 9th, 2023 - Caring for the VulnerableFebruary 10, 2023 - HospitalityFebruary 11th, 2023 - Build
2022
January
Covid UpdateDay 1 - Is It Worth It?Day 2 - God Promises His PresenceDay 3 - Aligning Ourselves With GodDay 4 - The Voice of the ShepherdVision 2022 - Begins this Sunday!Day 5 - Rushing or Resting?Day 6 - "By the Grace of God"Day 7 - A Day for Rest and WorshipDay 8 - Ask Boldly and Surrender CompletelyDay 9 - Our Deliverance for His GloryDay 10 - Ask for the ImpossibleDay 11 - Adversity Meets Unwavering FaithWhat an incredible start to 2022!!Day 12 - Focus Reveals FaithDay 13 - Impossible Mission!Day 15 - Followers of JesusDay 16 - The Good News of God’s LoveDay 17 - Radical Love Leads People to JesusLet's Try this Again...Day 18 - Relentless CommitmentDay 19 - Unending Power SourceDay 20 - Come and See, Go and TellDay 22 - Many Parts, One BodyDay 23 - A New Command - Love One AnotherDay 24 - One Body and One LordDay 25 - Be Angry, But Do Not SinDo you Belong?Day 26 - The Commandment of LoveDay 27 - The Attitude and Obedience of Christ
March
Day 1 - Seeking the Lord TogetherDay 2 - Ash WednesdayDay 3 - The Baptism of JesusDay 4 - The Word as a WeaponDay 5 - Freedom in ConfessionDay 6 - Love Your EnemiesDay 7 - Anxious for NothingDay 8 - Effective PrayerDay 9 - Amazing FaithDay 10 - The Bleeding WomanDay 11 - Confidence in GodDay 12 - Fear Not!Day 13 - Come and RestDay 14 - Kingdom Minded CommunityDay 15 - The TreasureDay 16 - Peace in His PresenceDay 17 - Raise the RoofDay 18 - A Parent's CommitmentDay 19 - Too Good to be TrueDay 20 - Only JesusDay 21 - The Ninety-Nine and the OneDay 22 - Salvation Through SurrenderDay 23 - Good Rest from a Good ShepherdDay 24 - Read the RoomDay 25 - A Fruitful FaithDay 26 - The Wedding FeastDay 27 - Serve Like Jesus