#86 THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL 9-4-26
There is a sentence in the Bible that seems almost too great for the human mind to take in: “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped” (Joshua 10:13). Joshua was fighting a battle, and daylight was running out. The enemy was fleeing, but the work was not finished. So Joshua spoke to the Lord, and then he spoke to the sun. He asked for more daylight, and God gave it. The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until Israel had taken vengeance on its enemies.
We are sometimes tempted to read a passage like this and immediately begin explaining how it could have happened. But before we explain the miracle, perhaps we ought simply to believe the God who performed it. The Bible does not present Joshua as a man who discovered a natural phenomenon. It presents him as a man who trusted God. The God who made the sun is not helpless before the sun. The God who made time is not imprisoned by time. The Creator is Lord over His creation.
What a wonderful lesson this is for us. Joshua did not ask God for more daylight because he wanted an easier life. He wanted more time to finish what God had commanded him to do. There are moments when we wish God would give us more time, not because we want more time to spend on ourselves, but because there is still work to do. There are people to love. There are souls to reach. There are prayers to pray. There are wounds to bind. There are good works to accomplish. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:10).
Joshua’s faith was not passive. He believed God, and then he acted. Faith does not merely sit and admire the promises of God. Faith gets up and walks. Faith takes another step when the road is difficult. Faith keeps fighting when the battle has lasted longer than expected. Faith believes that God is able to provide whatever is necessary for the work He has given us to do.
And perhaps there is another lesson hidden here. Joshua knew that his victory depended upon God. Israel had soldiers, swords, courage, and strategy, but ultimately the battle belonged to the Lord. We can work with all our strength, but our strength is never enough without God’s blessing. “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31).
The sun stood still that day because God was accomplishing His purpose through His servant Joshua. But there is an even greater victory in which we rejoice. Joshua’s name means “the LORD saves.” The name Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. Joshua led Israel into earthly victory, but Jesus leads His people into eternal victory. Joshua fought against earthly enemies, but Jesus conquered sin, death, and the grave. Joshua needed the sun to remain in the sky, but Jesus Himself is the true Light of the world (John 8:12).
One day, the sun that Joshua saw standing still will no longer be needed. There will be a city where “the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23). The great story of Scripture moves from creation’s light to Christ’s light, and finally to the everlasting light of God’s presence.
So when your day seems too short, remember Joshua. When the battle seems too great, remember Joshua. When you wonder whether there is enough strength, enough time, or enough opportunity to finish what God has placed before you, remember Joshua. The God who made the sun can make a way where there seems to be no way.
We do not need the sun to stand still today. We need our hearts to stand still before God. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The God who stopped the sun for Joshua is still God today. Trust Him. Serve Him. Keep walking. Keep fighting the good fight. Keep your eyes upon Jesus. And when your work is finished, may you be able to say with the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
BDD
