Joshua 4:20-24 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers,
‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”
Yesterday we talked about remembering the wonderful things that God has done in our lives – the extraordinary things that stand out over the years. I likened those events to quarry stones – massive and strong experiences that form a rock-solid foundation for our faith with Jesus the chief cornerstone.
Today’s verses underscore just how important it is to remember the wondrous things that our God does. The children of Israel were to stack these 12 stones as a memorial, so they would never forget what the Lord had done. Through His people, the Lord wanted the
people of the earth to know that the hand of the Lord was powerful.
The thing that is so amazing to me is that after Joshua and that whole generation died, “another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10) Unfortunately, mankind has a problem with forgetfulness.
Last year I was reading in one of my journals from years earlier. I came upon a time with the Lord that was so significant and so special, that I wrote in my journal, “I will never forget this!” Unfortunately, I had forgotten it – and wondered how many other things have I forgotten..
We need to share these experiences particularly with our family. They affirm the greatness of our God and cultivate hearts of gratitude within us. They also build the understanding in all of us that they are but a foretaste of the many experiences that the Lord has for us. The best is yet to come. Not just in eternity, but here and now. God wants to show Himself strong amongst His people – so that the world will know!
