So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.

Joshua 10:7-8 ESV

The Gibeonites were under attack by five kings when they reached out to their new allies, Joshua and the Israelites. Joshua inquired of the Lord about what to do. Good idea! Satan deceived Joshua through the Gibeonites when he didn’t inquire about the Lord.

To wage war with five kings is an insurmountable battle. Yet, if they won, the Israelites would eliminate key adversaries and gain territory.

When I read Joshua’s army courageously confronting five kings, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to tackle and solve five problems at once instead of tackling each problem one by one?” Like Joshua, we are assured of God’s victory in our life and must remember to seek God’s wisdom in approaching challenges.

As Joshua led the army into battle, the Lord sent their enemies into a panic and rained down large stones or hail from heaven. More died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with a sword (10:10-12). As the battle raged on, Joshua recognized they were close to victory, and the last thing they needed was the loss of daylight. Darkness would give their enemies time to regroup, rest and strategize for the next battle. In other words, the Israelites not only needed more time, but they also needed more daylight to finish off their enemies.  

 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. (Joshua 10:12-13 ESV)

Many of us are familiar with the account. My favorite part is verse 14, “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a man’s voice, for the Lord fought for Israel.” I love that the verse was recorded. It reminds me how the Lord listens to his people and fights for them!

As I gather prayer requests from nurses worldwide, I witness how difficult and overwhelming nursing is.  No matter where you work in nursing or your role as an educator, staff nurse, or administrator, it is likely that you are experiencing insurmountable problems. What do you need? Ask for the impossible and see what God will do. I don’t think nurses would ever ask for our day to be extended or our shift to be longer, but the Lord can make us more efficient and provide solutions.

Be encouraged that the Lord listens and directs solutions to all we are experiencing. We can stand assured that God will do the impossible!