“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Isaiah 53:1
There is an account in the book of Joshua concerning the conquest of Canaan, when the Israelites were pursuing their enemies, and the matter of time was critical to thoroughly accomplish victory in a certain battle. God had already intervened directly by casting down large hailstones from heaven upon the enemy, and a great many died. However, the crucial moment had arrived when Joshua and the people needed an extension of the day in order to pursue and conquer the enemy. It is then that something very remarkable occurred. Joshua spoke to the Lord concerning the sun and the moon, calling upon God to cause the sun to stand still, and the moon to stop. In addressing the sun and moon directly, commanding them certainly by the faith and commitment of Joshua to God, they stood still for about a whole day. Scripture tells us that, “…there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:14) Why then do we hear so little of this remarkable event? Is it because it is too monumental, and so extraordinary that it is hard to believe? If so, let us remember what Jesus told His disciples when speaking on the matter of prayer. He said, “Have faith in God. For Assuredly, I say to you, whosoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:23) The God of Joshua is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of every believer and disciple of Christ. Is He not able to do that which “exceeds what we could ask or think?” Even in the book of Isaiah, we discover a passage that is extraordinary, which contributes to this matter of having faith in God, and being in such agreement, and conformity with that which He desires to do, that the believer is called upon to “command” Him. In Isaiah 45:11, we find written: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command me.” What is the Lord seeking to reveal to us through this most extraordinary event in the life of Joshua, the people of Israel, the disciples of Christ, and also to Isaish? It is that He is God, the only Sovereign, and glorious God, who is willing to work wonderfully, and certainly beyond our capacity to understanding. Also, the revelation of what He desires to do in answer to prayer is the call of God to every believer to “come up higher,” to not only see the promised land where His promises are realized, and are fulfilled, but where the believer is called upon to abide in Christ, so that His work and will be accomplished, and His glory and testimony to the world revealed. The question is, “Who will truly believe it?” Or as Isaiah put it so clearly with regard to the coming Messiah, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
After the deportation of Israel, and the seventy years of that deportation had been fulfilled, there came a day in the distant city of Shushan, the ancient capital of Persia, that a man of faith, with others of like mind, were moved by God to seek the blessing of God upon Jerusalem. Their hearts were stirred and moved to prayer when they heard of the condition of Jerusalem, for though the temple had been rebuilt, the walls lay in ruins. The testimony of this city where God had placed his name, had become one of dishonor before the world, now only a slight glimmer of God’s glory. However, God would hear the prayer of these believers, honoring their faith, and accomplish the impossibility of ruined walls rebuilt.
Dear Father, Grant us Your vision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.