My husband has a unique hobby. He spends hours reading and watching documentaries about military battles throughout history. At first, I didn't get it. Why would anyone want to spend hours reading about military strategy? The books just looked boring-and I never got past the cover! But he gradually won me over when he encouraged me to listen to a book on tape called Raid on the Sun. Then, he had me watch some Military Channel documentary on Israeli history. Now I'm kind of hooked. Why else would I currently be reading a book about the Allied invasion of North Africa?
Military history really is fascinating. For that reason, we seem to vacation to sites of famous battles (the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, etc.) But in my opinion, military history is fascinating because there's so much more involved in the battles than just military strategy. The hand of God is so clearly visible through the stories of historical battles. How else could General Washington evacuate the Continental Army across the East River undetected by the British Navy following the Battle of Brooklyn? Or how did Israel manage to launch an air attack during the Six-Day War during the exact time that the Egyptians shut down their air defense system? Or how in the world did Israel manage to take out Saddam's Osirak nuclear facility in 1981? God was definitely at work.
God has always protected His people. And the story of Joshua's military victory over the Amorites provides a clear picture of God's involvement in military history. Verse 14 even says that the Lord fought for Israel! He allowed the sun and the moon to stand still so that Israel could win the battle. How is this even possible? What in the world led Joshua to ask God to hold the sun in place?
I'm also currently reading a book called Sun Stand Still, by Steven Furtick. It was a graduation gift from my church. And the book describes the kind of faith that Joshua had when he asked God to intervene in the battle against the Amorites. As Furtick says, Joshua had "audacious faith," the kind of faith that we all ought to have. If God can hold the sun in place, or send a fog to shield General Washington from the British navy, God can do the impossible in my life too. But am I praying for the sun to stand still? Do I really believe that God can send the fog at the right time? Do I have audacious faith to believe that God can use me as a tool to change the world?
Sometimes I wonder why God wanted me to "take some time off" before studying for the bar exam. Why would God want me to wait? Well, He's clearly teaching me and growing my faith. He's preparing my heart for something. He's reminding me that my life's military strategy is meaningless without the Lord fighting on my side. He's showing me that He can use me, but I have to have faith that He's capable of doing the impossible. I have to go into life's battle prepared to ask for the sun to stand still. Isn't it cool to know that God can do the impossible?
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