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Sun Stand Still

by Eric Rowell

January 26, 2011

Sun Stand Still. Joshua prayed a prayer so powerful that the sun stood still. His army was able to continue their surge into the Promised Land. Moses asked God to stop the Red Sea in its tracks. He opened up an interstate to let the Israelites through and then sealed the deal by crumbling the water walls down upon the Egyptians. Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t rain for three years, and it didn’t. He was also the guy who prayed for fire from heaven and left this world in a chariot of fire. None of those was a little prayer.

I think that’s what Steven Furtick is talking about in Sun Stand Still - praying a prayer that seems a little out there, a little crazy. Impossible.

I’ll be honest; at the beginning of Sun Stand Still I was a little unsure about Furtick’s methods. Yes, praying big prayers that can only be answered by God is important, but at first it looked like it could be headed down the “God wants you to have the best parking space at WalMart” Road. It had great reviews by guys I respect like Andy Stanley, so I dug into it. Luckily, Andy Stanley was right and my initial concerns were way off.

In Sun Stand Still, Furtick shares stories (including his own) about the catching what he calls a Page 23 vision (I don’t know if I needed another tagline for visioncasting, but it works for the sake of the book). This vision can be something different for every person, but once catching a vision that is God focused and God ordained we can pray powerful, Sun Stand Still prayers. The vision casting/catching section is kind of like a smaller scale of Andy Stanley’s Visioneering (which by the way is fantastic – especially when planning for transitions or a new goal).

The part of the book that I particularly enjoyed was when Furtick began to focus more specifically on prayer. He talks a lot about making sure that our prayers are aligning with God’s will. We need to be spending a lot of time in the Word - reading it, speaking it (reaffirming both ourselves and others), and doing it. If we’re doing these things we’re going to be more in tune with what kind of prayers we should be praying. It sounds a little silly to write it, but it makes sense – if we’re in His Word learning His will for us, our desires and prayers will be more in line with His.

Furtick also talks about making a case to God when we pray, in the process reminding ourselves of the promises He has given us.

So for me, Sun Stand Still has become a must read. It had a slow start, but I sat down and read the last 2/3rds in one sitting. It was a both a refresher and a challenge for me, and I’ll probably use it for discipleship in the future. The book mentions there being small group study material online, and I’m going to check it out for more resources.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I am not required to write a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.