There is an interesting story in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua. Israel had crossed the Jordan River into Canaan, the Promised Land. They defeated and destroyed the cities of Jericho and Ai and the nations around became concerned. One such city, Gibeon, became fearful and made a treaty with them. When the king of Jerusalem heard that they had made this treaty, he enlisted the help of four other kings to fight with him against them. 
    Gibeon, in turn, cried out to the Israelites for help. The Israelites responded to their cry and fought against those kings and their armies at Gibeon. As they fled, the Israelites pursued after them. The Lord even threw hailstones down on them and killed many of them. However, Joshua, Israel’s leader, seemed to realise that they needed more time. He spoke to the sun and the moon commanding both to stand still. Both heavenly beings stopped. The sun did not go down for about a full day until Israel was able to avenge itself on its enemies. God had listened to Joshua and made the sun and moon stand still. He was indeed fighting for Israel (Joshua 10).
    The obvious miracle in this story grabs your attention. However, it’s not just about God’s miraculous ability to do impossible things, but about the reality of what God will do to take care of His own (v.13). Think about it. God changed the course of nature just to give His people the extra time they needed to fight against and defeat their enemies. On top of that, when the sun and moon stood still, they were not the only ones affected. I am sure people around the world were wondering what in the world was happening. God changed the whole course of nature not just to prove His might and power, but to prove His love for His people. 
    We may not always realise it, but God will go to some amazing lengths just for you and me. If you were to reflect on God’s goodness in your life, you may be amazed at the kind of things God has done just for you. We may sometimes take Him for granted not realising the heights and depths He has gone to just to deliver us from that situation, just to encourage us when we needed it, just to give us hope when everything around us seemed to be falling apart. 
    I recall some years ago my struggle to have children. I started using the doctor’s medication prescribed but then decided that I was just going to trust God to do for me what He had done for Sarah, Hannah and other women in the Bible. Some may have thought that I was crazy to make that choice, but I wanted to prove God. He did not disappoint. He not only opened my womb and blessed me with children, but they came in His perfect timing. To me, that was two miracles in one. 
    We love to say that God is the God of the impossible. He is. His ability far extends beyond our wildest imagination. Yet, God doesn’t just do the amazing things He does just to prove who He is, or what He can do. He does them because He loves us and He needs us to know that He will go to any length just for us. God is good. God is faithful. God loves us.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Serving a God who can and will do the impossible just because He loves you is indeed a privilege. Nothing is too hard for our God. Nothing can stand in the way of His love for you.

    While yesterday I was feeling anxious and a bit stressed, today I found myself feeling unusually thankful. I found myself actually thanking God for a number of things one after the next. During the course of the day, God allowed me to see and to be reminded that He was in control, that He saw everything I was going through and that He cared. I watched Him remove the stress as He showed me that I did not have to worry. He was working things out more than I realised. Interestingly, the day before, He told me very clearly through someone to not be afraid. In short, He was working it all out although I could not see it at the time. He had my back and He has me!
    I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Simply put, no matter what we may be facing, we need to choose to have an attitude of thanks to God. We need to trust that in any and every situation, God will deliver, God will rescue, God will sustain us. He will bring good out of any situation and knows how to use both the good and bad in our lives to bring about something good for us. We may not always feel thankful, but it is important to choose to be thankful no matter how we might feel.
    I am reminded of the story of Daniel in the Old Testament (Daniel 6). King Darius placed various leaders over his kingdom to help him rule. Daniel, a Hebrew, was one of them. Daniel, however, had such a spirit of excellence on him, that the king desired to make him ruler over the entire kingdom. In their jealousy, the other rulers tricked the king into signing a decree that anyone who prayed to any other god or man but the king, within a thirty day period, should be thrown into the lions’ den.
Interestingly, when Daniel heard about the decree, he chose to go to his room where he prayed and gave thanks to his God three times a day as he was accustomed to doing (v.10). He knew he could be thrown into the lions’ den if he was found out. Yet, he went to his room, and with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he prayed and thanked his God. 
    It is easy to be thankful when circumstances are favourable, when we are not faced with challenges. But when we are in the midst of trials, that’s the best time to give thanks to God. Choosing to praise and give God thanks not only changes us but it has a way of turning negative situations around as well. Daniel was of course caught and thrown into the lions’ den. But God was faithful and prevented the lions from harming him. His choice to continue giving thanks to his God, even when he knew he could be killed for it, brought about a miraculous deliverance for him. As if that was not enough, the king gave an order throughout his kingdom that the God of Daniel should be honoured. 
    Having a heart and attitude of thanksgiving towards God is more powerful than you can imagine. God sees and knows what we are going through, but I believe that He appreciates when we make an effort to be thankful even when it is difficult and the situation is not ideal. At the end of the day, God not only answers prayer but He responds favourably to the choice to be thankful in difficult circumstances.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Choosing to thank God when it is difficult, can change circumstances, turn situations around and bring favour in impossible situations. 
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