Extraordinary Prayer

"God heeded the voice of man" Joshua 10:14 

There are numerous scriptures and stories throughout the Bible that encourage us to pray. Prayer is so important in our lives as Christians, yet it often gets reduced to either 911-type cries for help or routine words that we are accustomed to praying. In the case of Joshua and the battle with the Amorites, he asked the Lord for a miracle of major proportions. Joshua dared to ask God that the sun would not set until their enemies were defeated. Not only did God answer Joshua's prayer but verse 14 further states that "there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." The Lord listened and responded to the voice of man.

Does God heed the voice of man today? James 5:16 says that the effective fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much. Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock and that whatever we ask in His name will be given. The key to answered prayers, however, is in praying God's will. Because we have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we can know how to pray God's will for our lives (I should add "better know" because there are still times when we all struggle to truly understand how to pray the will of God.) But regardless of what we know or how we pray, the point is that we need to pray to the Lord for everything. We should not hold back from asking the Lord for anything we want. It is up to Him to decide if or how He answers.

This day in Joshua's life was extraordinary to say the least. God gave him extra daylight time to completely destroy the five kings who had fled from him. God not only answered Joshua's prayer, but He divinely intervened in this battle Himself. When God has a plan, no one can thwart or hinder what He is going to do. Sometimes we need to pray just for peace in the situation we are in, knowing that the Lord will have His way no matter what we do or do not do. God kept His promises to Joshua and the Israelites and He demonstrated His faithfulness to them in amazing ways.

Is this the same God in our lives today? Absolutely! Do not stop praying and do not allow the enemy to hinder your faith in your prayers. The Lord may not extend our days by keeping the sun from setting, but there are miracles that He does perform in our lives that hold just as much impact. Has God given you promises? Believe in faith that He will fulfill them in your life, maybe not in your timing or by your methods, but in His. He is the same God today as He was to Joshua. Are you expecting the same of Him?

~Daily Disciples Devotional~