Prayers that Make You Nervous

Sometimes, just sometimes, I have enough faith to pray a prayer that is bigger than what I think could actually happen.

But if I'm honest, I would like that to happen more often.

Far too many of my prayers are connected to what I think is possible. I pray for situations that seem likely to improve. I pray for outcomes that make sense to me. My prayers often stay within the boundaries of what I can imagine happening.
Perhaps yours do too.

I don't think God minds our small prayers. Every prayer is an act of dependence. But I do wonder if God would occasionally like us to pray a little bigger. To trust a little deeper. To ask for things that can only be explained if He shows up.
Joshua certainly wasn't afraid to do that.

In Joshua 10, five Amorite kings joined forces to attack Gibeon, a city that had recently become an ally of Israel. Facing overwhelming odds, the people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua asking for help.

Life can feel like that sometimes. Have you noticed how challenges rarely arrive one at a time? A struggle at work is joined by a difficulty at home. Financial pressures appear alongside health concerns. It can feel as though all of life's enemies have decided to attack together.
Joshua immediately came to their aid, but before the famous prayer, it is worth noticing three things about him.

First, he honored his promises. The Gibeonites called because Joshua had given them his word, and he showed up when it mattered. Before asking God for something extraordinary, Joshua was faithfully doing what he had already committed to do.

Second, he gave his best. Scripture tells us that he took his best warriors into battle. He didn't settle for "good enough." He brought his very best to the task before him.

Third, he trusted God's promises. Before the battle began, God assured Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand." Joshua moved forward with confidence because he knew God was already at work.

The battle unfolded just as God had promised. Israel gained the upper hand, and God even sent a hailstorm that caused more damage to the enemy than Israel's army did. It's a wonderful reminder that while God invites us to participate in His work, His power far exceeds our own.

Then came the moment that changed everything.
As the battle neared its conclusion, daylight was fading. Joshua knew darkness would allow the enemy to escape and regroup. So he prayed one of the boldest prayers in all of Scripture:
"Sun, stand still over Gibeon."

Can you imagine praying that prayer?
Joshua wasn't asking for a little help. He was asking God to intervene in a way no one had ever seen before.
And remarkably, God answered.
"So the sun stood still."

The day was extended. The victory was secured. The enemy was defeated.
The point of the story isn't that God will answer every prayer exactly as we hope. Scripture and experience both teach us otherwise. But this story does remind us that we are praying to a God whose power extends far beyond our imagination.

Joshua's prayer challenges me because my prayers can sometimes become too cautious, too predictable, too limited by what I think is possible.

Perhaps there is a prayer you need to revisit.
A relationship that seems beyond repair. A prodigal you've stopped praying for. A dream you've quietly shelved. A situation that feels impossible.
Maybe God is inviting you to trust Him with it again.

After all, there is a greater chance of God answering a prayer that we pray than one we never bring before Him.

So pray boldly.
The God who once made the sun stand still is still listening.