“So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky
and delayed going down about a full day.” —Joshua 10:13, NIV
As events close in, deadlines loom, and preparations fall short, many of us find ourselves saying, “If only I had one more day to get everything done.”
Well, be encouraged. This is our day, our year, or perhaps I should say our month. February affords us exactly that—One. More. Day.
2020 is a leap year. Instead of the 365 days normally allotted to a year, 2020 contains 366 days. For those of you born on leap day, you have one more reason to celebrate. The day that’s eluded you for the past four years is finally within your grasp.
I’d hoped to convey the scientific reason behind the extra day within our calendar year, but after researching it, I found my head in a never-ending spiral. I decided that by the time it all made sense to this right-brained individual, I would have lost my additional day. Therefore, if you wonder why our calendar year is set as it is, I’ll let you do the research and write the article. As for now, let’s focus on a time when God answered Joshua’s prayer by giving him an additional day.
In Joshua 10, Joshua alleged he and his allies needed more daylight to defeat the five kings that threatened their existence at Gibeon. In the heat of battle, Joshua prayed for God’s intervention. Boldly, he asked for the sun and the moon to stand still. Scripture tells us, “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped.”
When I’m in a time crunch, I’m not presumptuous enough to think that my prayers will affect the rising and the setting of the sun, but one thing I know—my prayers can affect time. How? Because, I know the Father and the Keeper of Time, the One who restores the years the locusts have eaten, the One who’s established the principle of sowing and reaping (good or bad), and the One who promises to multiply all that I give him.
Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
So, the next time we think we have no time to spend with God before rushing into the onslaught of our day, we can know that whatever portion of time we give him, he will honor.
Now it’s your turn. This month, we have an extra day. Today, we have this moment. What will you do with this gift of time? Before choosing, remember . . .
What we keep is all we have. What we give to God, he multiplies.
I always welcome your comments.
I wish I could tell you that I was going to spend it in contemplative prayer, or some righteous act of service. But with a multi-million dollar proposal deadline looming, I am thanking God for an extra day of work to accomplish this herculean effort. How will this magnify God? I don’t honestly know right now, but increased stewardship has been something I’ve been praying on, so I trust God will guide me to a way to be a good steward of the extra time He’s afforded. God’s blessings Ms. Starr.
And He will. I pray He multiplies your time as you place him first. He is always faithful. Thanks for your comments.
The keeper of time holds our heart in His hands. What a comfort to know He walks us through our days, guiding our steps so we get done the things He has designed and directed us to do. If…if we have ears to hear. Which again means time. Time to be still, to focus on Him, to rejoice in His presence and enter into His courts with praise and thanksgiving. Thanks for the reminded of how we order our days.
Amen. Thank you, Jeanie,for your comments. May God bless everything you put your hand to
do.