Sun Stand Still
“Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us”
Ephesians 3:20 CEB
The verse above states that God is able to do more than we could ask or imagine by His power at work in us. Does this mean we should ask for the impossible? Does God want us to pray for miracles? The short answer is yes.
“On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
Joshua 10:12-14 NIV
‘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!”
Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still in the sky, and God answered! If we are in tune with God’s will, then He wants us to come boldly before Him and pray outrageous prayers. Steven Furtick calls them “Sun Stand Still prayers.”
“Joshua had the audacity to ask God to make the sun stop in the sky. To freeze time on behalf of his people. I know this proposition seems impossible to us. And it doesn’t make a bit of sense scientifically. But according to Scripture, God gave Joshua exactly what he ordered. . . . He chose to answer Joshua’s outrageous prayer. He did what only he could do. And he did it in a way that his people would never forget — in a way that we’re still marveling at to this day. . . . could it be that God intends for us to have the same kind of audacious faith — the kind of faith that dares to believe God for the impossible — as a normal way of life? With everything in me, I believe he does. I believe he still desires to make the sun stand still over the life of every believer. If we’ll have the audacity to ask.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
God wants to involve us in His work — all of us. His miracles aren’t just reserved for a select few. He wants to work through every believer to bring His Kingdom to earth and to bring His lost children home. God will do amazing things to show His power and His glory . . . just ask Him!
“The God of the Bible can do whatever he pleases. And what pleases him is to show off his power for his glory and renown. So give him the opportunity. Dream God-worthy dreams. Pray faith-fueled prayers. Live a life that can be explained only by the existence of a God who is infinitely great.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
“And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.”
1 John 5:14-15 RSV
So does this mean God will give us anything we want? The short answer here is no. The key is to pray according to God’s will. Before we can ask God for impossible things, we have to know what impossible things to ask for. We must stay connected to God through prayer and His Word and let the Holy Spirit transform our thoughts and desires to align with His. Basically, this means that the first “Sun Stand Still prayer” we should pray is for God to completely transform our hearts and minds. God doesn’t promise to give us whatever we want — He promises to make us want whatever He’s ready to give.
“Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 NLV
God created us to be dependent on Him daily. We were never meant to figure all of this out on our own. We must come to Him every day and ask for His guidance and His wisdom. We must be willing to set aside our own dreams and desires to make room for His bigger and better dreams and desires. Once we develop this habit, the Holy Spirit begins transforming us. Soon God’s will is what we desire. When our hearts are aligned with His, we are ready to make the sun stand still.
“The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first. Because God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it — especially because God encourages us to do so.”
Chronological Life Application Study Bible
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
James 5:16-18 NIV
Prayer is powerful. Prayer is effective. And it’s effectiveness is not just reserved for certain people. James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. So what makes a person righteous? The short answer is faith. Faith in Jesus Christ to make us right before God. Faith in God’s power to do the impossible. And faith in God’s love to act for our good. “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness'” (Romans 4:3 NIV). If we have faith in Christ’s redeeming power, and if we have faith in God’s greatness as well as His goodness, then we are righteous before Him. This means our prayers are powerful . . . and effective.
“Joshua’s Sun Stand Still prayer is not something we simply admire. Simple as it is, it shows us a bold way to address God that we can emulate. And this is true of all the great prayers of the Bible. They’re recorded in Scripture to set an all-time prayer standard for us. . . . I suggest that the prayers of these people are not abnormal. They are not the exception. At least they were never meant to be. . . . We are just like Elijah. We are just like Joshua. . . . The only difference is that Elijah and Joshua had the audacity to pray prayers that lived up to God’s character, God’s heart, God’s resources, God’s will, and God’s abilities. . . . We’re strong in the Lord. And it’s time to put those muscles to work.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,
John 15:7
and it will be done for you.”
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17 NIV
One final thing, and this is probably the most important step. Once we pray in faith for God to do the impossible, we need to do our part. If we really believe God is working in our lives, then we need to demonstrate that through our actions. We need to move in the direction we believe He’s leading us. We can’t hedge our bets. When we reach up to God, we can’t keep one foot on the ground. We need to jump with all our might and trust Him to catch us!
“If you’re going to have the audacity to ask God for something, you’d better be ready to act. Audacious prayer must be tethered to practical obedience. Or else it’s not faith. It’s just wishful thinking and positive mental energy. No wonder so many of our prayers aren’t answered. We pray for a miracle, but we fail to make a move. And most of the time, if you don’t move, God won’t move. That’s just the way he designed faith to work.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
And don’t fall into the trap I often have of constantly second-guessing yourself. Did God really say that, or is this just wishful thinking? Am I really supposed to do this, or should I wait until know for sure? Here’s the thing. We will never know for sure. I know. That’s a scary thought. But that’s just how it is. If we were always 100 percent certain about everything God tells us to do, we wouldn’t need faith. We wouldn’t need His constant guidance. And that’s not how God wants us to live.
God wants us to be dependent on Him. He wants us to keep seeking Him and seeking His will every day. He doesn’t give us the big picture all at once. He guides us one step at a time. So if we believe God has promised to do something in our lives, then He wants us to pray faith-fueled prayers and act on the belief that it will be accomplished. He wants us to get moving in that direction. We have to trust that He will correct us if we get off-track. What He doesn’t want us to do is just stand there because we’re too afraid to take a step. Seek Him every day, pray for direction, and then go for it!
“On the one hand, I know that God is able to do anything. On the other hand, I think he’s willing to do this specific thing. I know God can. And I’m pretty sure that he will. But I can’t be completely sure. That’s where audacious faith comes in. Audacity isn’t the absence of uncertainty and ambiguity. Audacity is believing that God’s promise is bigger than my perhaps. . . . On a good day, I’m 55 percent sure. And that’s enough certainty to take the next step. . . . Please don’t wait until you have 100 percent certainty to follow Jesus boldly.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
This week’s Scripture passages focus on the amazing power of God. The longer passages remind us of the miraculous things God has done in the past. The shorter passages encourage us to have faith that He will continue to do impossible things in our lives. God is waiting to show us what He can do. All we have to do is ask.
“I just want to give you permission to pray about your needs according to God’s will with full confidence that he cares about all the impossible needs in your life — in every single area of your life. So go ahead: Pray. Pray imaginatively. Pray unstoppably. And expect a miracle.”
Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still
References:
- Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2012.
- Furtick, Steven. Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible. Multnomah Books, 2010.
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About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!