The people of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, had recently crossed the Jordan River and were beginning to settle into the Promised Land. The problem was that the land was already inhabited by many different nations and tribes which meant that Joshua and the Israelites had to fight these people to live there. The first city that had to be conquered was Jericho. It was a strong and fortified city with high rock walls and instead of going up against them in combat, God told Joshua to have the people march around the city with the priests blowing ram’s horns once a day for six days. On the seventh day the marched around the city 7 times and on their last trip around they all shouted, the Lord has given us the city and as they did the walls of the city fell down and the Israelites rushed in and took the city.
The defeat of Jericho and then the later defeat of the city of Ai caused such a stir among the tribes and nations in the area that some people simply surrendered to Joshua, but others banded together to fight. 5 Amorite kings in the region pooled all their fighting men to go up against Israel and at first it looked like they might win, but then Joshua arrived with all his men and they began to overtake the Amorite Kings and their soldiers. The problem was that it was late in the day and at sundown everyone would have to stop fighting and if they stopped fighting, Joshua and the people of Israel would lose their momentum and maybe lose the battle – so Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still so they could win the battle and God made the sun stand still which gave Joshua and the people of Israel the opportunity to completely defeated their enemy. At the end of the battle the people realized that they didn’t win because of their superior strength or combat strategy – they were victorious because God listened to the prayer of Joshua and fought for his people.
When Joshua faced an impossible situation – he cried out to God to do what most people would have thought was impossible – he asked God to make the sun stand still. Joshua was bold and courageous and faithful and God responded. I believe God is just waiting for us to be bold and courageous and faithful in our prayers and I believe God wants us to pray for that which many might think is impossible but we pray it anyway because we know that with God all things are possible. That is the theme of our VBS this week, that all things are possible with God which means that there is no impossible prayer. God doesn’t want us to pray for the impossible he wants us to pray with conviction and faith for that which we know can be possible with Him.
Jesus said that if we faith the size of a mustard seed that nothing will be impossible, and in Philippians 4:13 it says I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. Knowing that all things are possible with God, what are the seemingly impossible situations that God wants you to pray for with boldness and courage? What impossible situation in your life is God just waiting for you to pray about so he can amaze you with his power and grace and goodness? Is it a relationship that needs to be healed or a financial problem that needs to be fixed? Is the impossible or possible situation a spiritual transformation in your life or in the life of someone you know or love? Is it a prayer for physical or emotional healing, the power to overcome temptation or achieve a certain goal that has eluded you for a lifetime? What is the impossible situation in your life that God wants to make possible? Can you name it – write it down and start getting specific with God about what you want? God is waiting for us to be bold and courageous in our prayers – so what is the impossible prayer (or possible prayer) you need to pray today?
Now… what will take for you to pray this prayer with boldness, faith and confidence? What will it take for you to pray like Joshua knowing that God can make it happen? What does it take for us to ask God to do that which is possible? The first thing it takes is A Vision of God’s Power. We need to actually see that with God all things are possible. The reason Joshua could ask God to do the impossible was because Joshua had already seen God do the impossible not once or twice but many times during his life. Think of everything Joshua had seen God do during his lifetime. Joshua was born a slave in Egypt so he was there to see the power of God in all 10 plagues. He saw God turn the waters to blood and then he saw the infestation of gnats and flies and frogs. Joshua had seen the plague of darkness which meant that he had seen God do something impossible with the sun in the sky (maybe that was why Joshua could later pray for God to do something impossible in the sky).
Joshua was there when the Red Sea parted and he was there when the Manna covered the ground every morning for 40 years. Joshua was there when water came from a rock, when the rocks of the Jordan river where exposed and when the rock walls of Jericho came tumbling down without the people lifting a finger. Joshua had a clear vision of God doing the impossible on earth and in the sky so it wasn’t outrageous for him to ask God to do one more seemingly impossible thing.
For us to ask God to do that which many may think is impossible we need to have a clear vision of God’s power at work in the world and in our lives, so where have you seen the power of God at work? How have you personally experienced the power of God or the grace of God in difficult situations? I’d like to share a situation where we all were able to see God’s power at work right here just a few weeks ago. As you know, the church was broken into 2 weeks ago and while there was some damage that needed to be cleaned up, the power of God was clear for us to see. The man who broke in never entered the sanctuary – God’s hand protected the doors and kept this space sacred. The man never entered any of the classrooms we use for our children’s ministry or for our daycare or playschool, which meant that those rooms remained safe and secure. God was watching out over our children and their safety even when none of us were here. The only room that had any damage that needed to be addressed was a staff lounge that had a tile floor that could be easily cleaned and nothing of value was taken or destroyed. God did what some might think is impossible – God guided a very drunk man through the church so that there was minimal damage.
Seeing God at work in this situation tells us that we can pray for God to guide and protect us in other difficult situations. Having a vision of God’s hand guiding and leading and protecting us in the past helps us pray for God’s hand to guide and lead and protect us in the future, even in impossible situations. So if we are going to pray for that which seems impossible we need to have a vision of God’s power that tells us that with God all things are possible.
The second thing we need in order to pray for that which is impossible is An Understanding of God’s Love. We need to know that it is not just God’s will but it is God’s desire to provide for us. Joshua had seen God’s love for the people of Israel through his entire life as he watched God patiently lead his people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. When we understand that God truly loves us – then we will have the boldness to ask God for what we need, even if it seems impossible. Look at Luke 11:11-13
The third thing it takes to ask God for the impossible is to be In Sync with God’s Word. We need to use the stories and teachings of the Bible when we pray for the impossible not because we need to remind God of what He has said or done in the past and what he can do in our future, but to remind ourselves. When we see that what we are asking God to do is in line with how God has moved in the past and is in line with the teaching of God’s word, it gives us boldness and confidence and faith when we pray. For example, the impossible situation we might be facing today is finding a sense of meaning and direction in life. If we go back to Genesis and the call of Abraham we see that God promised Abraham that he would lead him to a good and prosperous land. God made a promise to lead Abraham and so we can claim that promise in our lives as well because God has said the same thing to us in Jeremiah 29:11. If the impossible situation we face is having a sense of God’s direction in life, then we need to get in sync with God’s word and claim God’s word and promises to strengthen our faith as we pray.
The Bible is full of many impossible situations that can help us in our prayers. Hannah believed she would never have children, but she prayed and asked God for a child and God granted her a child. Elijah asked God for food during a drought and God provided him with food. The lepers, blind, lame and deaf asked Jesus for healing and God healed. The demon possessed asked Jesus to cast out their demons and restore them into their right mind and Jesus brought them peace. The Bible is full of stories of people asking God for impossible things that God provided and we need to claim these stories and use them in prayers. These stories and teachings don’t remind God of what he can do, God knows all things are possible; it reminds us of what God can do which gives us faith and trust when we pray, which makes our prayers more powerful and effective.
And then the last thing we need to do when we ask God to do that which seems impossible is to Humble Ourselves in the Presence of God. Usually when we ask God to do something impossible it is because we have finally figured out that we don’t have the strength to do it on our own. Joshua and all the people had come to their end of their strength – they couldn’t do anymore. If the sun set that day then they were through; they needed God to act. Sun stand still is a real prayer of faith because they needed God to do this for them because they couldn’t do this on their own. As long as we pray for things that are in our control – or things we can accomplish in our own strength and power, we really don’t need God to act – but when we ask God to do that which we can’t do on our own then it is a real prayer of faith. Joshua knew that he couldn’t make the sun stand still. His arms weren’t long enough to grab hold of the sun and make it stop moving. His power wasn’t strong enough to intervene in the natural order – he couldn’t do this and so he didn’t even try – he asked – and that’s the key.
Praying for the impossible means we stop trying to do it ourselves and start asking God. Whether it’s in relationships, finances, health, our jobs, our community or finding our place in the church or in our world, when we finally stop trying to do it on our own and start asking God to do it for us, God can finally step in and do it.
So what it takes to pray for that which seems impossible is
- A vision of God’s Power
- An understanding of God’s love
- Bbeing in sync with God’s word
- Humbling ourselves in the Presence of God.
Next Steps: Sun, Stand Still ~ Praying for the (im)possible
1. What are the (im)possible situations you are facing today?
Broken relationships
Desire for relationship
Financial problems
Employment problems
Spiritual transformation and revival for you
Spiritual transformation and revival in others
Physical or emotional healing
Struggle to forgive others
Struggle with specific temptations
Finding God’s purpose for your life
Other:
2. Name three specific ways you have seen God move in your past:
3. Identify Biblical stories or teachings that back up your (im)possible prayer:
4. Using your vision of God (#2 above) & the word of God (#3 above) – pray your BOLD prayer at least once every day – as long as necessary.
