Seizing The Moment Series

When we start claiming new territory for the Lord, as in leading people to faith in Christ, we will more than likely have to fight some spiritual battles; and fighting can be tiresome. Fighting can leave us weary and discouraged wishing the conflict was at an end; wanting to slow down and enjoy the fruits of our labor. If we’re not careful, we can sometimes slip into an attitude of thinking that life would be better if we could just arrive at our spiritual destination, whatever that might be.

It is all too easy for people to get in a hurry and fail to cherish the present moment. People often forget that there is joy in the journey, and they can become so time-oriented that they fail to be God-oriented and God-centered. In Psalm 46:10, the Lord declared, “Be still, and know that I am God,” but how many believers sit still long enough to really hear what the Lord is saying concerning His will for their life or their situation?

People today seem to be very busy and always in a hurry. They walk fast, drive fast, talk fast, eat fast; and after eating, they all too often stand up and say, “Excuse me, but I’ve got to run.” It’s rather ironic that in the state of South Dakota there is a city called Rapid City, and a nearby mountain called Rushmore.

One Native American, testifies, “To the Euro-American time is quantitative; but to the Native American it is qualitative, as is evidenced by the older Native man who was living on a reservation. When asked if he had lived on the reservation all his life, he replied, ‘No, not yet’.”(1) This older Indian realized that he had a lot of life left to live and many more experiences yet to encounter.

The difficulty that people have with time is rooted in our society’s drive for productivity. It is commonly said that “time is money.” It became evident to one CEO that his time spent working and earning money had affected his family life. He stated, “I knew my travel schedule was out of control when my wife and three-year-old were standing outside. An airplane flew overhead, and my wife said, ‘Do you know what that is?’ ‘Yes,’ my daughter replied. ‘It’s Daddy’s office’.”(2)

You have probably before heard someone mention the Latin phrase carpe diem, which means “seize the day.” Well, this morning, we are going to see that in order to be mighty in God, and to walk in victory and conquest of the land, that we must daily devote ourselves and our time to seeking the Lord and His presence in our lives. We must learn to seize every minute and every second, and make the most of it for the Lord while living in the present moment.

Sun and Moon Stand Still (vv. 12-13a)

Let us all stand at this time in honor of the reading of God’s Word, as we read through Joshua chapter 10, verses 12-13a:

12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies.

So, what exactly was going on here? Well, allow me to summarize what we learn in the first few verses of this chapter. King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem became upset when he heard how Joshua and the Israelites had destroyed the city of Ai, and of how Gibeon had joined Joshua and his band (Joshua 10:1-2); therefore Adoni-Zedek had nine kings, five of them being Amorites (10:5), to join him in order to stage an attack on the Israelites and Gibeon. In looking back at verse 8, the Lord had promised Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” Right here, in verses 12-13, we find that Joshua had asked the Lord to make time stand still until the enemies of the Israelites had been defeated.

Time Allowed for Victory

God had promised to show Joshua His glory through a great victory, but Joshua realized that you cannot rush God. The Lord has made many promises of victory to each of us as well. He promised to give His only Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins that we might have eternal life (John 3:16) – which is our victory over sin! Jesus promised that God would provide us with a Helper, who is the Holy Spirit (John 15:26) – which is our victory over both sorrow and the difficulties of life! The Bible contains numerous promises that the Lord wants to fulfill in our life, but like Joshua we need to give God the time to come through for us.