Joshua's Impossible Prayer

Joshua was running out of time, and he knew it. The enemy armies had formed a massive coalition against Israel, and the battle was raging fiercely. His soldiers were fighting with everything they had, but darkness was creeping closer. Once night fell, the enemy would slip away under cover of darkness, regroup somewhere safe, and come back to fight another day. Joshua needed just a few more hours of daylight, but who could control the sun?

That's when Joshua did something so creative. Right there in front of his entire army, with both friends and enemies listening, he looked up at the sky and made an impossible request: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon!"

I can only imagine the silence that followed those words. Joshua had just asked God to stop the rotation of the earth—to pause the very laws of nature for the sake of this one battle. His reputation and his leadership hung in the balance of what happened next. What if nothing happened? What if the sun kept moving toward the horizon while everyone watched his faith crumble in real time?

Maybe you know what it feels like to need an impossible miracle. Perhaps you're staring at circumstances that feel completely beyond anyone's control—a diagnosis that has no cure, debt that seems insurmountable, a relationship that appears beyond saving. Maybe you've been whispering careful, safe prayers, asking God for help, but not really expecting Him to do anything that might surprise you.

Joshua's story makes me wonder what would happen if we prayed like we really believed God was listening. He didn't hedge his bet or ask for a reasonable amount of help. He asked for something that had never happened before and would never happen again. And the stunning thing is, God said yes.

The sun stood still for almost a whole day. Israel won a complete victory. Scripture tells us there has never been a day like it—when God literally rearranged the heavens because one of His children asked Him to.

I don't know what impossible thing you need from God today, but Joshua's prayer reminds me that our God isn't limited by what seems reasonable or possible. He's the same God who stopped the sun for a desperate warrior who dared to ask.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, I've been praying such small prayers when You're such a big God. Help me bring my impossible needs to You, trusting that nothing is too hard for Your loving hands. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What impossible situation in your life needs a "sun stand still" kind of miracle?
2. What keeps you from praying bold prayers that require God to show up miraculously?
3. How might your prayer life change if you truly believed God delights in doing the impossible for His children?