Joshua 10:12-13
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." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
The Power of Bent Knees
Have you ever wondered how a bird can sleep on its perch and never fall off? The secret is the tendons of the bird's legs. They are constructed in such a way that when the leg is bent at the knee, the claws contract and grip like a steel trap. The claws refuse to let go until the knees are unbent again.
It was the bent knee that gave Joshua his power as well. As the Israelites were pursuing their enemy the Amorites, they were running out of daylight. It was a critical time because, even though the battle had been won, the route was not complete. In the sight of all Israel, Joshua stopped and called upon the Lord, and the sun stood still in the midst of the sky. Joshua 10:14 declares, "And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." That's the power of the bent knee!
If you want power with God, you need to practice bending your knees. While every prayer will not stop the sun, every prayer that reflects God's will can win your battle. Prayer is God's chosen instrument to release His power in our daily life.
Determine today to practice the power of prayer. Set aside a daily time to bend the knee and seek the Lord. Discover for yourself the life-changing effects that can be brought about through bent knees.
When you need to hang on tight, bend your knees.
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: A Lamp For My Feet
Scripture: Psalm 119:90-91
All Things Serve Thee
During my husband Addison's terminal illness, everything in our lives was changing. The cancer had spread with a speed which startled the doctors. I found during those hard days and nights strength in the ringing words of the liturgy, proclaimed aloud as the congregation knelt: "Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again." I could hold onto those immutable facts.
The psalmist found the same strength in the Lord's infrangible decrees: "This day, as ever, Thy decrees stand fast: for all things serve Thee" (Ps 119:91 NEB). The Lord is not subject to vicissitudes, exigencies, and contingencies. "Accidents" are, in fact, subject to the Lord of the universe, the blessed Controller of all things.
"Thy promise endures for all time, stable as the earth which Thou hast fixed" (Ps 119:90 NEB).
He "fixes," that is, He sets in place, the whole earth. Surely He can fix and establish my heart. Every "happening" serves Him.
Joshua 14:6-7
Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart."
Friends in Deed
Dr. Abraham Maslow, famed research analyst, estimated that the average American meets only about 50 percent of his need for love, interpersonal support and intimacy. In the latter stages of his research, Dr. Maslow became even more negative in his summary: "The truth is," he said, "the average American does not have a real friend in the world."
That stands in stark contrast to the friendship we see between Joshua and Caleb. First teamed up by Moses as partners to explore the land of Canaan, they also stood steadfast together when the people rebelled and wanted to stone them (Num. 14:6-10). Joshua was later selected to replace Moses as the leader of Israel, but that seemed to have no effect on their friendship. Forty-five years later we find them fighting shoulder to shoulder as Israel sought to solidify its hold on the Promised Land. And in the midst of the conflict, Joshua fulfilled a promise. Joshua 14:13 says, "And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance."
Joshua and Caleb were friends indeed and friends in deed. It was a friendship tested by time and trials, but a friendship expressed in commitment and deeds. What had been promised in words was fulfilled in deeds.
Perhaps you are blessed with such a friend as Caleb. If so, find a way today not only to say how much you appreciate this friend but to show it as well. Follow the admonition of 1 John 3:18: "Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."
A friend in deed is a friend indeed.