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Today’s reading from Joshua 9–11 continues the foundational lesson introduced in yesterday’s passage: being desperately dependent on God—where He becomes our first recourse, not our last resort. That truth was clearly demonstrated, and in the short term, it seemed the Israelites understood. But as we’ll see throughout their story, they would need frequent reminders of this basic, yet critical, lesson.

Isn’t the same true for us? How often do we try to solve problems on our own before turning to God for help? For those of you who are newer in your walk with Jesus, be encouraged—spiritual maturity does happen. Over time, we learn to rely on God more quickly and more deeply—some of us sooner and better than others.

Not long after the lesson at Ai, the leaders of Israel faced another test. The people of Gibeon—a great city (10:2)—recognized their danger. They knew they were doomed unless they came up with a clever plan. So they disguised themselves—wearing old clothes, carrying moldy bread—and pretended to have come from a faraway land. When they arrived, they flattered the Israelites by saying, “We’ve come from a distant land because we’ve heard how amazing you are, and how powerful your God is. We want to be your servants”—in other words, they were seeking to make peace.

The Israelite leaders were deceived. Seeing their tattered clothes, worn sandals, and stale provisions, and hearing their flattery, they made a covenant with them. But three days later, they discovered the truth. If the leaders had prioritized God in their decision-making, He would have protected them from being misled. Though they eventually forced the Gibeonites into servitude, their ongoing presence in the land likely became a stumbling block to Israel’s pursuit of holiness and their resistance to idolatry.

From this point forward, we begin to see signs that Joshua and the leaders had learned their lesson. There’s an observable shift—a consistent, ongoing dialogue between God and His people. Prayer was no longer neglected; it had become a priority. For example, Joshua 10:8 says:

“And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands…’”

And again in Joshua 11:6:

“And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel…”

When God is speaking, it’s because His people are listening. They are talking with Him. Prayer becomes a priority because God is a priority.

And when God is consulted and followed, the outcome is dramatically different—literally night and day. Look at what happens in Joshua 10:12–13:

“At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’ And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.”

Some interpret this as poetic language or exaggeration. But personally, when I can take Scripture literally, I do. While a total planetary standstill would have catastrophic consequences, we know from Colossians 1:17 that God holds all things together. He is more than capable of working miracles beyond our comprehension.

As the chapter continues, we see Joshua and the Israelites moving through Canaan like a hot knife through butter—but only when they remained desperately dependent on the Lord, demonstrated through their active commitment to prayer.

Takeaway: When you face a decision or crisis, is your instinct to pray first—or to act first and pray later? We could avoid so many unnecessary setbacks and struggles if we simply learned the freshman-level foundational truth: make prayer your first priority—because God is your first priority.