Picking Up Stones
I am kind of a forgetful person. I think that's why I always write to-do list and put events into my phone's calendar. If I didn't write things down, I would always be running around trying to figure out what I forgot. Whenever I go back home for the weekend, I pack a small weekend bag. As I am packing I go over my mental checklist, "underwear, check, deodorant, check, toothbrush, check, etc..." And yet every time I go back home I always forget something important...every time!!! (I have come to accept that I will forget something when going home to visit my family.)
Today I was reading Joshua 3 & 4. In Joshua 3, Joshua leads the Israelites through the Jordan River, to get to the land that God has promised the people of Israel. God tells Joshua that when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant walk into the river, the water will stop flowing so that everyone can cross safely. When the priests holding the ark leave the river, the water will start flowing again. So similarly to the time when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God stopped the river so that his people could cross.
God stopped a river...let that sink in for bit.
He just stopped it, he didn't pull a Siri and say "oh sorry let me reroute to get to your destination"...no he knew that the river was there and decided to show his children his power and majesty. So then in chapter 4 God tells Joshua to have 12 men take a stone each and place it where they crossed the river. These stones were known as memorial stones, in later years the people of Israel would look at the stones and remember what God had done for them. I really love that symbolism.
Throughout the Old Testament we see multiple instances of people placing stones where they encountered God, so that others can be reminded of what God did and how he displayed his power, love, and faithfulness.
I always wonder if those stones are still there, if the stories are still told? Israel has a history of forgetting God and turning to idols, I can see why God commanded them to place these memorial stones throughout the land. He didn't want them to forget and walk away from him. It is the same for me, God does not want me to forget what he has done in my life.
Why is it so easy to forget what God has done for me? What can I use as a memorial stone, so that when I see it, I remember God? Even now as I write this, I am thinking back to how God has provided for me, blessed me, taught me, and loved me. When I see the pictures of Thailand hanging in my room, I think of how God got me there, taught me so many things and surrounded me with loving people. Or when I read the quotes taped to my mirror I think of what I was doing when I found that quote and what God was doing in that time. Sometimes I walk past these things and forget to think about what they mean. I do not want those memories to live in the past but to shape my present and future.
God has stopped the river for me.
How has he stopped the river for you? What do your memorial stones look like?
Today I was reading Joshua 3 & 4. In Joshua 3, Joshua leads the Israelites through the Jordan River, to get to the land that God has promised the people of Israel. God tells Joshua that when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant walk into the river, the water will stop flowing so that everyone can cross safely. When the priests holding the ark leave the river, the water will start flowing again. So similarly to the time when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God stopped the river so that his people could cross.
God stopped a river...let that sink in for bit.
He just stopped it, he didn't pull a Siri and say "oh sorry let me reroute to get to your destination"...no he knew that the river was there and decided to show his children his power and majesty. So then in chapter 4 God tells Joshua to have 12 men take a stone each and place it where they crossed the river. These stones were known as memorial stones, in later years the people of Israel would look at the stones and remember what God had done for them. I really love that symbolism.
Throughout the Old Testament we see multiple instances of people placing stones where they encountered God, so that others can be reminded of what God did and how he displayed his power, love, and faithfulness.
I always wonder if those stones are still there, if the stories are still told? Israel has a history of forgetting God and turning to idols, I can see why God commanded them to place these memorial stones throughout the land. He didn't want them to forget and walk away from him. It is the same for me, God does not want me to forget what he has done in my life.
Why is it so easy to forget what God has done for me? What can I use as a memorial stone, so that when I see it, I remember God? Even now as I write this, I am thinking back to how God has provided for me, blessed me, taught me, and loved me. When I see the pictures of Thailand hanging in my room, I think of how God got me there, taught me so many things and surrounded me with loving people. Or when I read the quotes taped to my mirror I think of what I was doing when I found that quote and what God was doing in that time. Sometimes I walk past these things and forget to think about what they mean. I do not want those memories to live in the past but to shape my present and future.
God has stopped the river for me.
How has he stopped the river for you? What do your memorial stones look like?
Good word and application to your life.
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