Mission imPOSSIBLE

"This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged

by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s...
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions;
then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you,
O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid
or discouraged... for the Lord is with you!" 2Chronicles 20:15-17

To what extent is God willing to go to in order to save his children?

Better yet, to what extent is God willing to go to in order to save me?

God has done some pretty amazing things for me in my lifetime. Sometimes when I think about them I just marvel as to how he makes everything work together at the right time.

I always say:

God is never too early.

God is never too late.

God is always on time.

But really, how far is God willing to go for my sake? When I'm in desperate need, or simply in need, is there something he cannot or will not do for me?

Joshua 10

So he was scared out of his royal mind, Adoni-Zedek was. He did not know what to do. One of his informants told him that the king of Jericho and Ai were killed. Not only that, but the city of Jericho and Ai were also whipped out!

ADONI: "Who's responsible for this?!"

INFORMANT: "It is Joshua and the Israelites, my lord. They're the ones

causing such havoc! And from what I've been informed, the
Gibeonites have joined them too, my lord."

ADONI: "I'm scared out of my royal mind!"

I'm sure he didn't say that. Although it would be kind of funny if he did...

Homeboy really did not know what to do. Surely he thought this Joshua guy and his Israelite clan would come attack him next; so he summoned his crew to figure out how to take this Joshua guy and his clan out.

"Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and completely destroyed Ai and killed its king, just as he had destroyed the town of Jericho and killed its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel and were now their allies. He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors. So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. 'Come and help me destroy Gibeon,' he urged them, 'for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.' So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon." Joshua 10:1-5

Sounds like he was scared to me... Honestly, I would be too; I'd be screaming like a little third-grade girl.....

Disregard the above statement.

So Adoni-zedek and his other king friends jump the Gibeonites. And the poor Gibeonites are getting the life kicked out of them.

One of them escapes to Joshua and pleads for help.

DUDE THAT ESCAPED: "Joshua, you gotta come save us!

Adoni-zedek and a bunch of other dudes are kicking out butts!"

JOSHUA: "Dude, and you left your people behind while

they're getting their butts kicked?.. Dude..."

I'm sure that didn't happen either; although it would be kind of funny...

This did happen though:

"The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. 'Don’t abandon your servants now!' they pleaded. 'Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.' So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon." Joshua 10 :6-7

You see, this is what these kings did not know: they didn't know that God had made a promise to Israel. They didn't know that after Moses' death, God told Joshua,

"I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you." Joshua 1:3-5

You can only imagine what happened next. Without hesitation, Joshua and his army set out to defend the Gibeonites. They left with a little extra assurance, because God said:

"Do not be afraid of them...for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you." Joshua 10:8

What a fight that was! What an assurance for Joshua and the Israelites to go into a fight already knowing the outcome: victory, guaranteed by the Lord.

So they fought throughout the night and they fought until the next day. The fight was so good that even God had to get in on it:

"As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword." Joshua 10:11

Up to this point, it is clear that God is willing to get involved personally in order to deliver me - as noted in the verse above. But is that all? Could he take it one step further?

Check it

"On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

'Let the sun stand still over Gibeon,
and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.'

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!" Joshua 10:12-14

I've found myself in situations where I think that God, with all of his powers, cannot do absolutely anything to rescue me or provide for me or pull me through. I think to myself, "There is absolutely now way... absolutely no way, that God can possibly help me out this time around." I recently heard myself saying to several people, "I think I've ran out of miracles, because I don't see how I'm gonna overcome this situation this time..."

What a slap to the face to the One who says to me, "Do not be afraid of them [meaning any situation I may find myself in]...for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you." Joshua 10:8

What a slap to the face to the one who says to me, "...the battle is not yours, but God’s... you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory." 2 Chronicles 20:15-16

God is able to do even the impossible for me & for you too...

He is not only able, but he is more than willing to do even beyond the most impossible in order to save me & you whenever we're in need.

...and I need him to do the impossible for me as I write this

I serve an amazing God

Enjoy this cool song by MercyMe: I Know