Sermon for Sunday, November 15, 2020
God listens to your prayers
Have you ever had God answer a prayer? And not just a vague prayer where you said to yourself, “God, please don’t let it rain tomorrow?” and it didn’t? Well perhaps God answered that prayer for you, or perhaps it wasn’t supposed to rain anyways. I’m talking about an intentional prayer of faith, a prayer for something that, unless God intervened, it wouldn’t happen?
Perhaps the healing of a loved one, or the reconciliation of a relationship. Perhaps for money to make it for the rest of the month, or the salvation of a loved one.
Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded, 'Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely.'
That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, 'If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!' And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child's sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles."
Think for a moment – perhaps even write it down on your bulletin. When was the last time you prayed a specific prayer and God answered? Was it this week? Has it been this month? This year? Are some of you having a difficult time coming up with an answer perhaps? Josh 10:12-15
12 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.”
13 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.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
15 So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
God listens to prayers
12 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.”
Can you imagine going to church and someone was in the parking lot commanding the sun and the moon to stand still? We’d probably think they were looney tunes, wouldn’t we? And yet, that’s what Joshua did in this spoken prayer.
The backdrop is that the battle wasn’t finished. One of the commands given to Joshua by the Lord was to eliminate the enemy entirely. And that wasn’t yet done. Look back a few verses at verse 10 –
10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
And this wasn’t a little army. This was the combined army under 5 separate kings which had come against another city which Israel was bound to protect. So we had many thousands of soldiers here that were fleeing before Israel. And if they got away, they would regroup and attack again. // Joshua was confident in his prayer, because God had already told him back in verse 8,
8 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.”
So Joshua had every right and confidence to expect God’s word to Him would be fulfilled. In accordance to that word, He simply prayed for more daylight to get it done. Now, many have tried to explain this Scripture as perhaps an eclipse, or just what felt like a really long day, or even a cloudy day without heat so that Joshua’s men could fight an extra long time. But none of this makes sense when we look at our text, which says in verse 14,
14 There has been no day like it before or since
And besides, God Himself called the universe into existence and rules it for his own purposes. Psalm 33:6 tells us,
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
So we need to establish right now that this unbelievable event actually happened, and a day like this has not happened since that day even unto 2020. For the sun to stand still, think of all the heavenly bodies which also had to pause. Perhaps the rotation of the earth was affected. The rotation of the moon might have been affected so that tides continued to flow normally. I don’t know how God did it nor the science do it. I do know that this was nothing less than an amazing and miraculous day.
This should encourage us, because if God can keep the sun in the sky for what verse 13 says was about a whole extra day, then I believe that there is nothing in your life or in my life but what falls under the jurisdiction and power of God’s ability to answer prayers!
God is able to move on our behalf
13 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.
God answered Joshua’s prayer until that time in which the task was done and the nation took vengeance upon their enemies. Only God could’ve answered that prayer. All of the might of all of the nations of men that day or this day could not have affected an answer to this prayer. I’m greatly reminded of the wonderful verse in Ephesians 3:20 – 21
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Again I ask you, when was the last time that we prayed an intentional, heart-felt prayer to God of something that only He could do? I don’t know if you’ve ever read any Christian books by Watchman Nee, but you should! Allow me to share an illustration about a specific prayer that Brother Nee prayed.
In his book Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee describes a preaching mission to an island off the South China coast. There were seven in the ministering group, including a sixteen-year-old new convert whom he calls Brother Wu. The island was fairly large, containing about 6,000 homes. Nee had a contact there, an old schoolmate of his who was headmaster of the village school, but he refused to house the group when he discovered they had come to preach the Gospel. Finally, they found lodging with a Chinese herbalist, who became their first convert. Preaching seemed quite fruitless on the island, and Nee discovered it was because of the dedication of the people there to an idol they called Ta-wang. They were convinced of his power because on the day of his festival and parade each year the weather was always near perfect.
"When is the procession this year?" young Wu (16 yrs old) asked a group that had gathered to hear them preach.
"It is fixed for January 11th at 8 in the morning," was the reply. "Then," said the new convert, "I promise you that it will certainly rain on the 11th."
At that there was an outburst of cries from the crowd: "That is enough! We don't want to hear any more preaching. If there is rain on the 11th, then your God is God!"
Watchman Nee had been elsewhere in the village when this confrontation had taken place. Upon being informed about it, he saw that the situation was serious and called the group to prayer. On the morning of the 11th, there was not a cloud in the sky, but during grace for breakfast, sprinkles began to fall and these were followed by heavy rain. Worshipers of the idol Ta-wang were so upset that they placed it in a sedan chair and carried it outdoors, hoping this would stop the rain. Then the rain increased. After only a short distance, the carriers of the idol stumbled and fell, dropping the idol and fracturing its jaw and left arm.
A number of young people turned to Christ as a result of the rain coming in answer to prayer, but the elders of the village made divination and said that the wrong day had been chosen. The proper day of the procession, they said, should have been the 14th. When Nee and his friends heard this, they again went to prayer, asking for rain on the 14th and for clear days for preaching until then. That afternoon the sky cleared and on the good days that followed there were thirty converts. Of the crucial test day, Nee says: The 14th broke, another perfect day, and we had good meetings. As the evening approached we met again at the appointed hour. We quietly brought the matter to the Lord's remembrance. Not a minute late, His answer came with torrential rain and floods as before.
The power of the idol over the islanders was broken; the enemy was defeated. Believing prayer had brought a great victory. Conversions followed. And the impact upon the servants of God who had witnessed His power would continue to enrich their Christian service from that time on.
So how can we pray prayers of confidence and rely upon God to answer? I had an interesting conversation with my children last night about this. I’ve heard prayers of confidence prayed many times in my life and the answers seemingly did not come. We were talking about healing especially. Sometimes it seems like God has a different plan completely than the one we are praying for.
So please understand this – when we are praying, it is important that we– and this is my 3rd and final point –
Pray for God’s will
How did Joshua know that this was God’s will? Because God had already made the promise. Joshua 10:8 was just the latest promise God had made in renewal of his many promises to give Israel the land of Canaan –
8 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.”
How do we know what God has promised us? It’s not complicated! His promises are in His word! And he confirms those promises as we pray and seek His face, and are found abiding in Him day in and day out.
I think of those who we have prayed who would be healed, but God ultimately healed them by taking them home. It was a victory for them but many Christians view that as a sad defeat. That, ultimately, is forgetting what God’s Word says about the home which has been prepared for us.
How about the goings-on of this world right now? Many are praying that everything in our world will go smooth and perfect for all believers. But ultimately, are we forgetting what God’s Word says about the state of the world in the last days? It’s ok to pray for good things to happen, but we must acknowledge and remember that God’s Word says there will be trying and terrible times as we draw closer to the last days.
What are you praying for? And as a follow-up question, do your prayers have their root in God’s Word and God’s promises? Earlier, we read a little bit from James 4, but listen to the rest of that passage - James 4:2b-3
You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
God wants you to pray. God is often waiting on you to pray. God’s response to your prayers cannot happen if there are no prayers. And furthermore, God is able to respond to your prayers. He is certainly able to do anything according to the power at work within us, that is, the Holy Spirit. But the way for our prayers to be most effective is for us to pray for things which are God’s will. Even Jesus Christ, God the Son, in submission to God the Father, prayed in Luke 22:42,
42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
We must be found in prayer. We must be found in communion with our God. And we must be found in His Word, and in places where His Word is taught and put forth, especially the church. Then, we will, over the course of our lives, have a clearer and clearer picture of what God desires in the world and in our lives, and will be able to pray and see answers come to pass of God’s desire for the world around us and in our lives. And what does God want to do in our world and in our lives? Right off the top of my head I can think of several things which the Bible says that God has a will to do -
Receive glory, Hear and respond to our concerns and anxieties, reach the lost, take care of His children, bind up those who are poor and broken, give peace and other spiritual gifts, and these are just to name a few from various Scriptures I can think of.
Today, I want you to intentionally have a time of prayer while the music is playing. What is it in your life that you need God’s answer for? Or who is it? I challenge you today to commit to begin praying and praying for that person. Seek God’s will. Read God’s word. And go to Him in prayer. And then we’ll receive an invitation.
