Written by Gawie de Lange
On the way to school recently, my son Michael was chatting away in his own two-year-old language, a steady stream of toddler theology and joyful noise. Then suddenly he squinted and said, “Papa, the sun is burning my eyes, can you please move the sun.”
When a father can’t fix it
I tried to adjust the car, shifted lanes slightly, and pulled the visor down, but the sun stayed where it was, burning my son’s eyes. “Michael, my boy, I tried but I can’t move the sun.” He looked at me as if I had just confessed a tragic weakness and asked: “…but why?” (his favourite phrase). “It’s fixed very far away and I can’t get to it.” And in that moment, something stirred deeply in my spirit.
The limits of earthly strength
As earthly fathers, we want to fix everything. We want to shield, solve, protect, and provide, yet there are limits to what we can do. There are suns we cannot move, situations we cannot shift, and circumstances far beyond our reach. However, we serve a Father who placed the sun where it hangs.
The Father who can move anything
Scripture reminds us: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:11). I cannot move the sun for Michael, but my Father can move anything. We serve the God who made the sun stand still in Joshua’s day. The God who parts seas, opens prison doors, and breathes life into dry bones. The God for whom nothing is impossible.
When life feels too bright
Sometimes in life, we face moments when the glare of the sun feels unbearable. It might be a diagnosis or financial strain. A relationship breaking under pressure. We try everything we can. We adjust the visor and we reposition the car, yet the sun keeps shining in our eyes. That is when we must remember: what is impossible in our power is never impossible beyond His. He is not limited by distance, complexity, or human impossibility.
Three points to ponder
He is the God who speaks galaxies into place. He is the One who set the sun there. He can command it to stand still. Perhaps today you feel like asking someone to move the sun for you. Let this be your reminder: take that request to the One who can. We serve a Father who is not intimidated by impossible prayers. May you trust the Father who holds the sun in place and still listens when His children ask.
God is greater than your limitation
What you cannot move, He can. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26).
God responds to faith-filled prayer
The sun stood still because someone dared to ask. “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies” (Josh 10:13).
God specialises in what seems final
Even what feels impossible, He can shift in His hands. “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jer 32:27).
This article is featured in the April 2026 issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 22/03/2026
Feature images sourced from original article
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