The Power to Command

UV 1403/10,000 The Power to Command
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Joshua 10 v 12
The horn of Joshua was strong. Whatever he asked for, the Lord commanded. When he asked that the sun and moon stand still, these stood still. It is not fable but recently NASA scientists, in order to calculate the position of the sun and moon and other planets a few hundred years hence so as to ensure safe orbits for spacecraft with long time spans, found a missing day. It was then pointed out that the Bible records that the sun and moon stood still for about a day. The ten degrees that Hezekiah asked that the sun’s shadow move back as a sign accounts for the remaining forty minutes. We should understand that nothing, absolutely nothing limits the power of God. Our faith enables us to command nature, disease, nations, leaders, people, supernatural forces and so on.

The power of God invested in men like Joshua is marvellous, miraculous and supernatural. We only need to expand and exercise our faith to experience it in different aspects of life. Joshua was victorious against 31 kings of the Canaan valley as the Lord had promised him that He would be with him as He was with Moses and that no man can stand against him. Whatever happens in our lives, God’s will will succeed. Joshua was an instrument of God’s will. When we align ourselves with God’s will we are setting ourselves up for success and not failure, tragedy or disaster.

Faith enables us to sort out the randomness of life and find meaningful patterns of God acting wilfully in our lives. Joshua had made a commitment that “ I and my family would serve the Lord.” That commitment was the source of his victory, his leadership as well as his power and authority. God manifested Himself as Jehovah Nissi in the life of Joshua. Like Joshua, we need to speak to the Lord first and He will deliver us and grant us victory in our battles. Our battles may not be physical or military like Joshua’s. We may not need to command the sun and the moon. But we can command the forces and the spirit of leaders to walk in alignment with the will of God or to stop in their tracks like the sun and the moon in whatever they are doing that is adverse or negative. We should neither be overawed nor embittered by our enemies or challenges or problems. They are our footstool if we have few. They are our foot ladder if we have many. Whether few or many they help us climb to the position and potential of our human and eternal destiny.

Prateep V Philip