Honestly, it’s bizarre to read old testament stories of the wars and fighting by the Israelites, of the killings and of the punishments sent by the Lord. Bizarre…

What’s not surprising is that the Lord is in charge. And yet what’s clear then (and now) is that the Lord and His Power are still questioned by our generation to be real, and to be Almighty. Can we see His Almightiness? Can we believe that the God who gives us life will also help us live it? I believe that we have no way to know how everything the Lord does fits into our lives. How would we know, we don’t have the Lord’s Vision – we cannot fathom it all because He is that VAST and ALMIGHTY. (but He still wants us to grasp the edges of understanding and grab the heart and the hope that He has. We are to see His Purpose over ours.

We can see the Sun shine but not how it moves. We see the world break, but not understand how it was formed. Even the Sun is full of fire and the earth full of mud, yet they are used in glorious ways, and fit for the Lord’s purpose. Why wouldn’t enemies be treatable in the same manner? Fit for a purpose. They sharpen our dependence upon God to win our battles. They force us to act and react. But as we know the Lord is unchanging, therefore in every situation we encounter, we best look to the Lord to handle it and make it fit to His Purpose. 

Joshua asked the Lord to STOP THE SUN FROM MOVING. WOW, wow, yes he asked boldly (and out of necessity). And YES, the Lord did just that. The Sun was stopped and the moon stopped for a whole day. The Israelites sent to fight were assured by God that they would win. In one particular battle, more were killed by the hailstones sent by the Lord than by the sword of the invaders. THE LORD MEANS BUSINESS.  The Lord achieved the victory because He sent the enemy into confusion. It should not be surprising that He secured the victory in His own Way. When we wait on the Lord, He works in His Ways, above our ways.

How will we understand that God can do the same now? Have you ever felt like the Lord slowed time down for you? Or sped it up? Threw a curveball snowstorm your way? Interrupted your schedule to fit His. Have you ever prayed for Him to confuse your enemies? Have you asked Him to make your own temptations clearly distasteful and easy to avoid? Have you asked the Lord to put the spark into your step, the spirit into your soul, and the smile on your face just to power thru? Maybe He makes us realize that who we thought were our enemies were and are simply thorns to navigate thru and move forward despite a few thorns left in our side. Humble ourselves and keep moving.

God can stop time at any time, so surely He can and will make time for you. Ask Him to Shine in your life. He will. If God can make life out of fire and mud and sparks and dust, then surely, He can power you too. You are fit for a purpose, HIS!

Amen 

We love him, because he first loved us. 1st John 4:19

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Joshua 10:9-15

After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, 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.

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.

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! Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.