This site contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Mesmerized. That’s how I describe my fascination with Joshua, the son of Nun.
This man was encouraged time and time again by God to be courageous and without fear.
“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9.
“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed…” Joshua 8:1.
Armed with that kind of courage, Joshua gathers forces to help the people of Gibeon in Joshua 10. The Gibeonites had made a treaty with Israel and because of that alliance the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces to attack Gibeon. Gibeon then sent word to Joshua for help.
God answers fearless prayer
Joshua didn’t just send a token group of fighting men, he marched with his entire army to defeat the five kings. “The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
Joshua is able to take them by surprise as the Lord brings confusion to the enemy. As they are running away from the Israelites the Bible says, “…the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.”
But it’s the next part that is so unbelievable it had to be God!
“On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.” Joshua 10:12, 13.
The sun and the moon stood still! “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”
The Israelites were winning the battle but more time was needed to completely defeat the enemy. If they didn’t conquer them before dark they could possibly regroup and come back to attack the Israelites again the next day.
We won’t go into HOW it happened. Yes, we understand the EARTH is what does the orbiting, not the sun or the moon, but even today we say the sun rises and sets so it is not necessarily out of order for Joshua to address the sun and moon instead of the earth itself.
So, what can we take away from this miraculous event?
Courage.
Joshua was given his courage by Almighty God. Yahweh, Jehovah, the Maker of the Universe told Joshua on many occasions not to be afraid; He was always with him and He would fight his battles.
When Joshua realized he needed a miracle, he not only was without fear, he knew where his strength came from and where his backup forces would be! God had told him that none of the enemy would escape so with that confidence, Joshua didn’t hesitate to tell God just what he needed to finish the battle.
And God answered his fearless prayer.
What I like even better than the sun and moon standing still is that Joshua has learned so much from his faithful God that he passes it on to his followers. “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” Joshua 10:25.
Do those words sound familiar? Joshua is now encouraging the people with the same words that the Lord had used to give him strength and courage! He had seen Him do the impossible on more than one occasion, God was faithful in every battle. Now, with boldness, he could tell the people he was chosen to lead to put their trust in this God who never fails.
God answers fearless prayer
What kind of enemy are you facing today? Does it seem impossible for God to even show up?
Do you feel as if you need more resources, more time, or more courage to take up the fight?
Friend, you don’t have to! God wants to fight the battle for you and in the midst of the battle He wants you to be without fear. Cling to His promises found in the Word of God and put your trust in the God who delivers. Every. Single. Time.
The God of Israel is fighting for you!
Sharing with Living Proverbs 31, Making your home sing, Amaze Me Mondays, Good Morning Mondays, Words with Winter, Modest Monday, Mama Moments Monday, Testimony Tuesday, Tell me a true story, Titus 2sday, #RaRa LInkup, Wedded Wednesday, A Little R & R
Yes, we must be bold as we enter the throne room and declare what God has promised. Thank you for your lovely post shared here at Tell me a Story. I enjoy the stories of Joshua and Caleb and their trust in God. May we understand we have more authority over nature than we are using. I have asked God to stop the rain so my children could come home from school in the dry – – yes the rain stopped for about 10 minutes – just enough time.
Amen, Sheryl! God is good to hear our prayers and answer in HIS time, according to HIS will. ♥
I need more courage…and God gave me some just this morning too. He meets us right where we are and I am overwhelmed by His mercy. Thank you for your words! ♥
Thank you so much Ugochi! So happy to have you here, may we pray bold prayers! ♥
My husband shared with the congregation the other day that perhaps the reason they were thrown into the sea is because man cannot conquer the depths of the sea. So we can’t retrieve them…ever! Either way we are blessed with a great God who forgives and forgets. ♥
Yes! We are His children and can approach Him with confidence and reverence, knowing He awaits us with open arms. Blessings. ♥
Thanks Sheila! I haven’t seen the movie but it sounds inspirational, a rarity these days 🙂 I also am always encouraged by Joshua and his fearlessness…made possible by Almighty God. ♥
Thank you Susan! Blessings to you and I will try to remember to come by on Friday. I need a list, lol. ♥
It isn’t easy sometimes is it Karen? It’s because we can’t see behind that “curtain” and yet God DOES see and He knows what’s coming, what is down the road and especially what is best for us. We must trust Him and know He wants what is best for us. ♥
And great words from you as always Mary. You say it so beautifully too! I want brave faith for every situation or at least the “smarts” to turn to the Lord Jesus. ♥
Gotta say I love your BIG!! HE is our only hope and yet He is all we need! So thankful for a great BIG God who is on our side. Love to you!
Sure hope you were able to accomplish all that was necessary Debbie. God gives us grace, just enough for each day. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! ♥
So true Anastasia! I pray for that boldness every day and not to sleep in my prayer closet. Thank you for stopping by!
God answers fearless prayers! Thank you I needed to hear that today!
My quiet time this morning was on courage, Nannette, so this fits so well in keeping me focused on trusting my BIG God to do miraculous things in my life as well. Thanks so much for your continued faithfulness to unpack these treasures that we all need to remember and hide deep within our hearts, my friend. Hugs to you!
Such encouragement to trust God in the storm. A lot of times we pray timid prayers when God expects us to make declartions boldly of His word. Many thanks for sharing!
Have a super blessed day!
Love
Beautiful truths in Joshua! Thanks for sharing these! Casting fear behind us and into the sea! Visiting from Tell me a true story… Blessings!
How often we forget the power of the god we serve ! That we, as sons and daughters, can pray boldly, asking all things to His glory!
Have Courage. Be Kind. We just watched the lovely movie Cinderella with Lily James and that was the motto which is so very Christ-like. Thanks for a great post, Nanette. I find so much inspiration in Joshua and those scriptures you noted. Blessings… #RaRaLinkup
Nannette,
I LOVE the story of the sun and moon standing still in the Bible. Your story is wonderfully conveyed. Thanks!
I’m your neighbor at Purposeful Faith today.
FYI- link it to DanceWithJesus linkup at SusanBMead.com/blog. I host that each Friday
We are doing a study in the book of Judges and it is amazing how often God shows Himself strong through weak people or unexpected means. And it is through His working in that manner that He is most glorified.
I know in my own life, it has been the prayer whose answered seemed like a “no” which was then answered in a profound way in the 11th hour that brings about the most exuberant joy and strengthens my faith.
Thank you for reminding me to continue to pray fearlessly for those situations in my life where maybe an answer is tarrying but to remember that God is still working and calling me to continue in fearless prayer.
I love the story of Joshua and the call to courage that is woven throughout. Your words match mine today since my series is about brave faith. I love being reminded that courage is everywhere and that God answers fearless prayer. That is powerful. Great words today.
YES! I needed to be reminded of Joshua’s courage today! There are many *battles* facing me, and I feel almost too tired to hold up my sword. What a great encouragement to remember that we don’t fight alone…EVER!
So, I’m going to pray *big* –
B elieving
I n
G od
Oh yes, indeed, I am – for the great I AM is on my side!
GOD BLESS!
I needed that today. I need the sun and moon to stand still so I can finish my work! Thank you for reminding me that God is able to do whatever it takes to bring the victory and He will get the glory!
I think we can all use some of Joshua’s courage and David’s boldness in the prayer closet. We serve the same God that they did and He can still do such amazing miracles in our own lives. When trails come we seem to forget this truth.