What does God do when we pray?

God answers our prayers.

 

“The Day the Sun Stood Still” relates something that seems absolutely impossible. But nothing is impossible for God! Joshua and the Israelites were tricked by the men of Gibeon into forming a peace treaty. As a result of the peace between Israel and Gibeon, five kings of Canaan attacked Gibeon. God reassured Joshua that He would be with the Israelites as they defended Gibeon. Not only was God with them, God fought for them! God sent the Canaanite armies into confusion, and then He dropped hailstones on them. 

Joshua and the Israelites were fighting, but Joshua noticed it wouldn’t be long before the sun began to go down. In front of everybody, Joshua cried out to God and asked Him to keep the sun standing still in its place until the battle was over. Guess what? That’s exactly what God did! God held the sun in place for almost a full day until the Israelites defeated their enemies.

What does God do when we pray? God answers the prayers of His people and saves them. This account points ahead to another time God saved His people in a greater way: God sent His Son, Jesus, to fight and win the battle against sin and death

 

What does God do when we obey Him?

God blesses people who trust and obey Him.

God gave Joshua specific instructions to defeat Ai. Joshua followed God’s instructions completely, and God gave the Israelites complete victory! After the battle of Ai, God allowed the Israelites to plunder Ai, keeping whatever goods and livestock they wanted for themselves. Joshua built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Joshua read the book of the law to the people.
How does God respond to our obedience? God blesses our obedience to His will. Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, God is always with us, and we are victorious over our enemies of sin and death. Remind your preschoolers that we don’t have right standing with God because we obey. We obey because He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place so we may be forgiven.

How does God feel about sin?

God hates sin.

 

Achan disobeyed God, and he died. We sin against God, and we deserve to die, too. But we don't have to die because Jesus died instead. We can trust in Him. Our bodies may die, but we will live forever with God in heaven.

 

Who fought the battle of Jericho?

God fought for His people.

The Israelites were finally in the Promised Land! They only had one thing left to do: conquer the land and drive out the inhabitants. The people who lived in Canaan worshiped false gods.

 

God gave Joshua specific instructions for battle. The Israelites obeyed. Who fought the battle of Jericho? God fought the battle and handed Jericho over to the Israelites. Joshua told the Israelites not to keep any of the spoil for themselves—the Lord would provide for their needs. Pray with your family. Thank God for providing for all of your needs, including the need to be rescued from sins by Jesus Christ.