THE MIRACLE OF TIME

 *28/05/2023*

*2023 HOLY GHOST SERVICE*

(PENTECOST SUNDAY)

*In commemoration of the birthday anniversary of the founder of this mission, PASTOR J.D. IFESANYA*

Theme:

*THE MIRACLE OF TIME*

Text: Joshua 10: 9-21

With assurance from the Lord, Joshua confidently marched out against the coalition of five Kings.

He marched all night from Gilgal to Gibeon. This was about a twenty-mile (thirty two kilometers) uphill journey, and therefore Joshua's arrival took the Kings by surprise (Joshua 10:9)

But it was not just the unexpected arrival of Joshua's army that threw the coalition forces into terror and panic; God was also at work to spread confusion.

Instead of putting up a fight, the coalition took to flight, with Israel in hot pursuit. Joshua 10:10-11

Historical evidence shows that showers of stones have indeed fallen in various parts of the world. But regardless of the exact nature of the stones, there can be no doubt of the fact that God has the power to hurl down stones like this, for his power is unlimited.

To see God fighting on their behalf must have been such a wonderful sight for Joshua and Israel that Joshua seems to have wanted it to last longer.

*He prayed: O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the valley of Aijalon. And, miracle of miracles, the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies*

Joshua 10:12-13a

The sun stopped for about a full day (Joshua 10:13b).

This miracle has been the subject of much discussion.

The author of the book of Joshua has taken this passage from the Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13c), which celebrates the mighty acts of the Lord. This has led some to believe that the record of this miracle was a later addition to the narrative. But such an attempt to explain away this miracle may be motivated by the inability of the finite mind to comprehend how such an occurrence could have taken place without affecting the whole course of the created universe.

The objection that a sudden stoppage of the revolution of the earth on its axis would have hurled the earth and the moon out of their orbits and destroyed everything on the Earth's surface does not prove anything. Not only does this argument imply that there is only one way that God could have achieved this effect, it also ignores the fact that the omnipotent God, who created the stars and makes them revolve with regularity in their orbits, and who upholds and governs all things in heaven and on earth, is powerful enough to guard against any such disastrous consequence.

This was not the only time that God suspended the laws of nature in response to the pleadings of his own. Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac when she was well past the natural child bearing age.

Genesis 17:15-17; 18:10-14; 21:1-3).

Elisha made an iron axe head float on water (2 Kings 6:4-7), and Jesus and Peter walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25-29). It is clear that when God chooses to intervene, he is not limited by anything, for nothing is impossible with him.

The author of Joshua declares that *there has been never a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man*(Joshua 10:14a), and stopped the universe in its tracks. God is not in the habit of suspending his laws in order to intervene in human affairs. He operates within the normal course of events. That is perhaps why many of us constantly miss what God is doing around us daily. But when God supernaturally steps in to deliver his people, everyone will notice. When the sun and moon stopped at Joshua's command, and hail stones hit Israel's enemies, everybody recognized that *the Lord was fighting for Israel*

Joshua 10:14b

When the five Kings realized what they were up against, they did the natural thing - they fled and hid in a cave.

Joshua 10:15

Having seen how totally Joshua and his army had defeated the five cities, *no one uttered a word against the Israelites*

Joshua 10:21

Their enemies were silenced!

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