The God of miracles

    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.

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