When the Sun Stood Still

The Lord is with his people. He fights for them. He performs miracles for them. He loves them. He will do the impossible. He reassures them (Joshua 10:8). He can confuse the enemy (Joshua 10:10). He can send down hailstones that kill more men than swords (Joshua 10:11). He can make the Sun stand still (Joshua 10:12-14). He makes sure we return home safe (Joshua 10:15). 

This story amazes me because the Lord...

#1. Told Joshua, "Don't worry about it! I've already taken care of it, they've already lost. All you have to do it go out there and finish the job. I'm with you so don't sweat it." This one to me is the struggle. God tells us so many times in the Bible to not worry, how strong he is, how loving he is, how powerful he is, yet I still seem to say, "I, I, I'm really not quite sure... are you sure Lord? Because THIS situation seems pretty darn big! It's SO big!! Do you realize how big it is? Are you sure you can really handle this?!" But, do I think in my head I can do a better job of handling it than God wholly taking control of it? No, if I think about it I really don't think I can. So why do I struggle with handing things over to him? See, God's always told this to us. He's always said that he has ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF IT! So why worry? This is my number one struggle. I'm so thankful that my God is a God of compassion!! 

#2. God went above and beyond his promise. What God originally said to Joshua would have been enough. He said, "Not one of them will be able to withstand you." Which pretty much translates to, "You've already won! Just go out and do your thing!" But he went above and beyond that to help the Israelites! He makes the Gibeonites easier to kill by confusing them and then he sends down monster hailstones to kill the rest of them! You see, God always goes above and beyond when it comes to helping us out in our battles! It might seem like the exact opposite was happening, but he's always right there! The Israelites might have thought that the Gibeonites running around confused made it harder and that the hailstones were coming after then when in reality, THOSE WERE ACTIONS OF GOD! It might seem like attacks are coming at you when they're God helping you out. 

#3. He gave them just what they needed. He made the Sun stand still. Joshua asked God for the Sun to stand still so that they could have enough time to finish the job and God delivered! It also shows the amazing power of prayer! God knew that the Israelites needed extra daylight time to win the battle so he gave it to them! He wants to make sure we succeed and will do what needs to be done so that we will! 

#4. Without the battle God's glory wouldn't have been as evident as it was. That wasn't such a wonderful sentence but it gets across what I'm trying to say. This battle was SO GOD! Who else could confuse and make the enemy not even fight back? And then send giant hailstones to finish the job? BUT, all the while making the Sun stand still in the sky so that the Israelites could fully defeat the enemy? If you feel like your battle is being prolonged, like you're where the Moon is standing still, then know that somewhere else the Sun is standing still! Your dawn will come and you will be able to see the great victory the Lord did when both your Moon and some else's Sun were standing still!! 

It's okay to hurt.

Hurting
Broken
Scarred
Scared
Worried
Crying
Questioning

All traits of being human, but no one wants to anyone else to see that side of them. We all want to put on masks to cover up our mistakes, our sin, our hurt, our past. The last thing we desire is to put on display how we really feel.

I believe this is a problem. The scars we have are because of the past we have, but don't need to hold onto anymore. The scars show the person we once were and what we once went through, and more importantly, how they've shaped us to become the person we are today.

But what if that person isn't so perfect?

No one is! The only perfect human who ever walked this Earth was named Jesus. And let me tell you, in his perfect he never sinned but he did cry. He hurt. He even questioned God. He felt troubled and a little apprehensive. He hurt and has permanent scars. The thing is, he doesn't ever dare hide them. He shows off his scars because it showcases the work of the Father and the gift each one of us is given, whether or not we receive it is left up to us.

Striving for perfection? Jesus is a pretty good model to imitate since he was and is and will be forever, perfect.

Even though John 11:35 is the most well known as the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept.", it holds so much more! Those two words to me, show Jesus' hurting, emotion, and humanity. It showed his heart.

It showed his heart and love for Martha, Mary, and the other Jews who were weeping with them. He hurt with others when they hurt. He felt their pain and did his best the alleviate that pain. (In this case, he raised Lazarus, their sole reason for weeping, from the dead! What a way to bring relief!)

In our culture, we see hurt as a problem that needs to be covered up because it's not pretty, not perfect. In reality, the most perfect person to walk this Earth, Jesus, hurt!

It's okay to hurt and feel pain, because Jesus even felt hurt and pain. It happens, has happened, and will happen again. It's part of having a heart and being human. But those thorns that cause us horribly pain leave us with ugly scars will one day show the glory of God far better than a smooth clear life. It might not seem like it now, but it will. That's a promise God gives us to hold onto.

Psalm 116:7-9

Be at rest once more, O my soul, 

for the Lord has been good to you.

For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, 

my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 

George Orwell

I've been reading "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell for my summer homework for AP Language & Composition. Orwell pretty much says, "Modern English is full of pre-made phrases that really don't mean anything. People want to sound pretty, but in reality, when you think about what you're saying you can see they don't know anything and have no clue what they're talking about. If you're going to write or talk, use words that have meaning, are new and exciting, and aren't misused!"

It's gotten me thinking about how I talk. When I talk, I want people to see who I am and who Jesus is. I don't want to sound like a fool who doesn't understand a lick of what he's saying. It's gotten me thinking about what I sound like when I open my mouth, or type with my fingers, about Jesus. Do I sound like someone who just wants to please a crowd with what I'm saying? Do I think about every word that exits my brain? Do I say the right things so that everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about and what I'm trying to convey?

This is really important to me! I think it should be to everyone. We need to stop making up sentences that just sound good but have no meaning concerning our Savior! Being saved from Hell is a BIG DEAL! Having God with me all the time is a BIG DEAL! How Jesus has changed my life and is changing it every second of the day is a BIG DEAL! I never want anyone to be confused with what I have to say about how great, wonderful, mighty, knowledgeable, powerful, wise, and loving beyond all measure our God is!

I vow to lift praise and honor to my Savior with every word I speak or write so that all will understand who God is and what I'm trying to say!