Can God…

 ^“At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:12-14 ESV)

Is there anything that God cannot do? The answer is no. Even stopping creation yet maintaining its continuity is not above the power of God. After all, He designed it, He created it, and He walked in it. God's power is beyond our comprehension. He knows everything, He sees everything, and He has power over everything, and is everywhere at once. That is the awe-inspiring power of God.

We see the power all through the Bible. The parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), the Great Flood (Genesis 7:1-24), the healing of Bartimaeus, the healing of the 10 Lepers, and the Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. All of these things are examples of God's power. They are not slight of Hand, demonic, nor are they a fable or a story.

All of these things share one commonality: faith. The commonality of each of these occurrences is the unwavering faith of the one in the power of God. The Red Sea, the unshakeable faith of Moses. The Great Flood, the faith of Noah. Bartimaeus had faith in Christ to heal, as did the Lepers. With Lazarus, Martha believed in Christ and the resurrection of the dead on the last day, only to witness it in the moment. This faith is what inspires us and gives us hope in the power of God.

In today’s verses, we recall the miracle God used to give victory to the Israelites in battle. It was preceded by a flurry of hailstones that killed more than the soldiers of Israel. Scripture tells us in everyday terms how Joshua prayed in faith, and God controlled nature, giving Him and His People the victory. Joshua had faith; he had seen too many works of God not to have faith in them. But what about us? The majority of us have never witnessed a miracle, and those who have are questioned with doubt.

You cannot get faith. Faith cannot be bought, self-conjured, nor can it be instilled in one without the grace of God. There comes a point when one reaches rock bottom in their life and has no one to turn to but God, and God may provide grace through desperation and election. What this means is God chose you as a child, yet it took you losing everything and everyone you have ever had supporting you for you to turn to God. It may be God moving His elect through God's work around Him or simply stirring the heart of the chosen one to come to Him. It may be fear, birthed from a terminal diagnosis, that God uses to bring one of the chosen to Him. The bottom line is, without the actions of God’s grace, faith cannot be had. This grace is personal; it is God reaching out to you, showing His love and care for you.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is real. He is alive and working in every life in creation, from microscopic phytoplankton to the elephants in Africa. One of my favorite verses from Job is verses 39:1-30, which starts with God asking Job, “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young? Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them. 

These verses continue through the donkey, the ox, the ostrich, the horse, and the hawk, demonstrating God’s knowledge of all things. This demonstrates God's intimate knowledge and care for creation.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior yet are here trying to find out more about Him, it is because He has ignited the search in your heart. Open your heart to the Lord and invite Him in. Ask Him in as your Savior and give your life to Him just as He gave His life for you. Let the grace of God spill over in you, giving you faith in the one who saves sinners from hell, the risen Son of God.

Grace and Peace.