Bold Prayers

Praise be to the glorious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God is good, and His mercy endures forever! Turn to your neighbor and say, "It is wonderful to be in the house of the Lord this evening." There are many people who have prayed in the Bible, but there are very few who have made bold prayers of bold supplications to God. Today, we are going to look at a couple of those who have prayed bold prayers. Turn to your neighbor and say, "Be Bold, Be Strong, The Lord our God is with you."

Joshua: The Bold Leader

Let's turn to the book of Joshua. Joshua, the son of Nun, is called 'Yehoshua' in Hebrew, which means "The Lord is Salvation." Joshua was born in Egypt and was part of the Exodus with Moses and all the Hebrew people who escaped slavery in Egypt. In the wilderness of Sinai, Moses took Joshua as his assistant. Exodus 24:13 says, "So whenever Moses went into the mountains to speak with God, he would take Joshua along with him." When Moses sent spies to Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb returned with the positive word that they could conquer the Promised Land with God's help. Others said it was not possible, and the Bible says they did not see the Promised Land. Turn and tell your neighbor, "Joshua the Assistant."

God's Presence with Joshua

Let's read from Exodus 33:9 and 11. The Lord came down as a pillar of cloud and stood near the tent or the door. The Shekinah Glory also came down as a cloud and filled the tabernacle. The Lord spoke to Moses face to face like a friend, as a man speaks unto his friend. It also says that Joshua was inside the tabernacle when this incident happened at the door of the Tabernacle. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim. After Moses, Joshua was chosen as a leader to lead the chosen people to the Promised Land. He was a brilliant military leader who was given the mantle to lead the people of Israel from the wilderness to the Promised Land. He was a very strong spiritual influencer who always relied on God’s Word. But the key to his success was not his caliber but his submission to God. When God spoke, Joshua listened and obeyed. He was a model for obedience. The meaning of Joshua is "The Lord is Salvation."

Joshua’s New Job

In Joshua 1:1-5, God speaks to Joshua and says, "Therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all the people of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." Joshua’s new job was leading lakhs and lakhs of people into the Promised Land – what a challenge for even a man like Joshua! Every new job is a challenge. Without God, it can be frightening. With God, it can be an adventure. God said He would give the Promised Land. Let's see the top three mega projects of Joshua as a leader.

Mega Projects of Joshua

The first was crossing the Jordan. With the Ark of the Covenant leading the way, the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, marking the beginning of their conquest of Canaan under Joshua's leadership. The crossing of the Jordan was God’s plan. He asked them to set their foot in the river along with the tabernacle, and the River Jordan opened up with dry land to walk through. The second was the conquest of Jericho. Following God's instructions, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, culminating in the walls collapsing after the sounding of trumpets. Jericho was captured. Crossing the Jordan was not Joshua’s tactics. It was divine strategy. Bringing down Jericho’s wall was not Joshua’s tactics. It was divine strategy. Joshua’s way was to divide and conquer. He first struck central Canaan by taking the city of Jericho and the surrounding territory. He then attacked the south and the north. After conquering Jericho, he conquered Ai. Hearing all of Joshua’s mightiness, the people of Gibeon made peace with Joshua and lived among them. The five kings of the Amorites came up to Gibeon to fight against Joshua and his men. God promised Joshua, "Do not fear because no man shall stand against you."

The third was stopping the sun. Joshua and his valiant men walked about 30 km from Gilgal to Gibeon to fight the five-king coalition. In Joshua 10:11-14, we see this battle where Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still, resulting in miraculous intervention by God. First of all, did the sun stop? Or did the earth stop? Does the sun move? Or does the earth move? Usually, the earth revolves around the sun. The sun does not revolve around us. Joshua only saw that the sun was rising from the east and moving to set in the west. Things that we see are not always true. It is the perception of our thoughts. Our mind reacts to what we see. The Bible says, "Your thoughts are not my thoughts." It is the perception of our thought that the sun moves from east to west.