“At that time, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel. And he said in the sight of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun stand still at Gibeon; And moon in the valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it, before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.”
– Joshua 10:12–14
I love Joshua 10:12–14. And when you realize what they’re teaching you will love them too. This picture of a miracle that God brought about in this battle with all these different kings specifically mentioned here in verse 12, the Amorites. The Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel because Joshua spoke to the Lord and cried out, “Sun stand still, and moon stand still, stop. And the sun and moon stopped. Like the earth rotation stopped so that the sun was there longer by day. And God gave the Amorites into the hands of his people. And verse 14 summarizes it saying, “There has not been a day like it before or since.”
As a follower of Jesus, you have been invited to make requests of the God who is Sovereign over everything in the universe, and He will heed the voice of those who call on Him for help.
And listen to this phrase. “When the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” Oh, there’s so much there. Like here’s a picture just to summarize it. The privilege and the power of prayer that is available to every person who knows God, who has put their faith in Jesus, been reconciled to a relationship with God, been invited to come before His throne of grace. You and I have access to the God of the universe who causes the earth to rotate or not. The God who controls the sun, the God who controls the moon.
God Will Heed The Voice Of Those Who Call Out To Him
You and I have the privilege of talking with Him every day. And He, by His grace and His sovereign mercy, chooses to heed the voice of men and women who call out to Him, specifically, those who need Him to fight for them, to work for them, to help them. Can I just say that again one more time, maybe a little quicker so that you are able to soak this in? As a follower of Jesus, you have been invited to ask, make requests of the God who is Sovereign over everything in the universe, and He will heed the voice of those who call on Him for help.
Joshua 10:12–14 Prays God Hears Our Voices And Helps Us
So God we pray today amidst all kinds of things going on in each of our lives, amidst things going on in my life, and just think about all the different things that might be going on in the lives of those who are listening right now. God, we look to you, the Lord who reigns over the sun and the moon and the stars, the one who causes the earth to rotate or not, the one with all power in all the universe, the creator of all, the sustainer of all, we look to you and we pray that you would help us. God, we pray in specific ways that are coming to our minds. We pray that you would heed our voices.
God, that you would help us, work for us, fight for us in the battles we walkthrough. God and we know our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, authorities of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, in the language of Ephesians 6. And so, God we pray, heed our voice, and help us. We pray in all the ways we need Your help. We praise You for Your sovereign power to work all things together for the good of Your people and the glory of Your name.
Joshua 10:12–14 Prays For The Bahara People Of Bangladesh
So, God, we pray that You would work in power on our behalf and not just on our behalf, God, on behalf of people who today need You, who don’t know You, who need the gospel right around us far from us, God, we pray for the Bahara people of Bangladesh, for this Muslim people group, God, please, oh, God move heaven and earth so the Bahara people of Bangladesh know your grace and your love and your mercy. We intercede to you on their behalf. God, please heed our voice and bring your salvation to the Bahara of Bangladesh.
So God, help us to pray like this, not just for things in our lives, but for things in others’ lives, and ultimately for the accomplishment of Your purpose in the world, particularly among people who have little to no knowledge of your grace and your love and your mercy and your sovereignty and your glory over all things. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel in Bangladesh among the Bahara. Please heed our voice, oh God, heed our voice today. Come to our help, come to others’ help for the glory of Your name. We pray Joshua 10:12–14 in Jesus’ name. Amen.
