Finish Strong

Part 5: The Sun Stands Still

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Summary

Our God is a God of miracles. When the odds seem overwhelming, this is when God does His best work. Whatever challenge you are facing today, always remember God is greater. So, what bold prayer are you praying in your life? Pray, asking God, to do what only He can do. As a church, we are joining together in praying “For the Kingdom.” We are praying and committing to see God accomplish His Will through us over these next 12 months. Let’s pray and commit to the work God has for each of us. Our best days individually and as a church are still to come! Let’s watch the “Sun Stand Still” and let’s Finish Strong!

Content

Finish Strong: The Sun Stands Still

Big, Bold Prayers

How often do you find yourself praying to God? When you do pray, what kind of requests are you giving to God? Are they benign or are they big and bold? 

These are questions for you to both reflect upon and challenge yourself with. We have a tendency to see the odds that are in front of us and shy away from them. We see the challenges, and we either turn in another direction away from them or wonder how in the world we will overcome them. This is a natural response, yes, but it’s a response that we, as Christians, do not have to respond with. 

Friends, we have the sovereign God on our side. He is in control of all creation. Before Him are all things and all things work together because of Him. Now, with that in mind, how trivial do those challenges in our lives seem? Though we will continue to face problems and difficulties in life, we also will always have our God fighting for us. 

Therefore, we can bring to Him our big requests. We can ask Him to do the impossible. He is able, and He wants us to bring our bold prayers to Him. 


What the Bible Says about Praying Boldly in Joshua 10

Joshua 10 finds the Israelites in a bit of a conundrum. They had not been wise in dealing with the Gibeonites in Joshua 9 because they did not inquire of the Lord for guidance in how to respond to the Gibeonites’ request for a treaty (Joshua 9:14). We’re then led to Joshua 10. This was a major battle that they were facing, and, especially after their difficulty with the Gibeonites in the previous chapter, Joshua knew that they wouldn’t be able to do it on their own. So, what does he do? He cries out to God for guidance. He prays a big, bold prayer. 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)  

God fought for His people! As they were in this battle, He made the impossible happen. Joshua prayed a prayer that only God could have done, and, to this day, there hasn’t been a day like this one. 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! (Joshua 10:14)

Matthew 7:7-8 states, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Here, Jesus himself is calling us to pray – to ask for the impossible – and to see what our God will do. Even if the odds are against us, nothing can stand up against our God. He’s on our side. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:14).

What are you praying for God to do that only He can do?

Our God is a God of miracles. When the odds seem overwhelming, this is when God does His

best work. Whatever challenge you are facing today, always remember God is greater. 

So, what bold prayer are you praying in your life? Do you have a specific request that comes to mind that you have thought about or hoped would happen but that you haven’t given to God? Give it to God. Do you have a person in mind who you think would never come to Christ? Pray for that person’s salvation. Pray the bold prayers. We don’t know what His plan or His will is, but we do know that He listens to the prayers of His people. He longs for us to come to Him with our heart’s desires and our deepest longings. He can and He will move according to His plan and purpose.

So, pray and pray bold. God listens. God answers. God responds. Invite God to do what only God can do. If God can – and He did! – suspend the moon and the sun in the sky for a day, what prayer asked in His Name is outside His domain?

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