Joshua 4:21-24, "He said to the Israelites, 'In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' Tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 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. He did this so that all people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.' "
I don't know about you but sometimes I suffer from amnesia. Especially when I find myself in a tough spot and need help, I tend to forget that God has gotten me through tough spots before. In the above passage God had just done the impossible. He had just dammed up the Jordan river so the people could cross over into the promised land. Because we humans have a tendency to forget God's provision and protection, the Israelites were told to set up a monument so that they would remember because it is so easy to forget. We all need these "stones of remembrance" in our own individual lives.
One of my favorite Bible stories growing up was the story of David and Goliath. (I always imagined something like Jack and the Beanstock) It took a LOT of faith for David to go up against that big Philistine warrior, but David had "stones of remembrance" that he could look to. In 1 Samuel 17:34-37 David tells Saul about two times while watching his father's sheep when a bear and a lion had tried to take one of the sheep. He had gone after the animal, struck it, and rescued the sheep. When the lion or bear turned on him he grabbed it by the hair, struck and killed it. Don't try this at home! One on one combat with a bear or a lion usually doesn't have a happy ending for the human. But David said something in verse 37:
The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion ad the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.
I've heard someone say that we who follow Jesus Christ live by faith, but it is a REASONABLE faith. David had a good reason to believe God would rescue him. He had done it before...twice.
We need to set up monuments as reminders God's faithfulness in our own lives so that we don't forget. Not necessarily a pile of rocks but maybe a post-it-note or photograph taped to the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror. Or maybe the dashbord of the car.
I am a free-lance carpenter contractor by trade. The vast majority of my work is fed to me by larger companies. Someone once told me if you want to learn what it means to live by faith, start your own business. He had a good point. As I am writing this on a Thursday morning, I'm looking at work for today and tomorrow. I have nothing lined up for next week. Some jobs fell through and some have been postponed.
I've been here before.
One of the most memorable situations was a number of years ago. I went to work on Monday morning with only some final touches to do on a kitchen and nothing else for the remainder of the week. There was another job just down the street from the one I was finishing but they were doing some remodeling and wouldn't be ready for the cabinets for some time yet. Around 11:00am as I was just finishing, the homeowner at the other job came by to see the finished product on this job. She said their handyman who was doing the work hadn't showed up for a few days and they couldn't get in touch with him. So they asked if I would be intersted in finishing up the rough framing. I moved my tools down the street and went right to work. That took me through Wednesday. When I got home Wednesday night there was a message for me to call someone regarding work. It seems that a real estate closing was held up because the house failed an inspection. They needed someone right away. That finished out the week. The funny thing is, I made about 50% more that week than I usually averaged on a normal week. I was able to relax that weekend because now the other job was ready and cabinets would be delivered first thing Monday morning. Not bad for a week that had very bleak prospects to start off.
That one goes on the bathroom mirror.
Just a week or two ago I needed new tires for my van and really couldn't afford them but couldn't put it off any more. When I got to the place I found out there was a closeout sale on the tires I needed and they just happened to have a couple left. Two new tires for under $100. Then I received my phone bill and saw that I owed only $7 for the month. When I called to ask if there was a mistake they said, yes there's a mistake. I actually had another credit and owed NOTHING.
God leaves his business card where I'll be sure to find it.
So what are your "stones of remembrance"? Is it time to dig through some old photographs or invest in some post-it-notes? It's so easy to forget otherwise. Many times in God's word we are told to remember. Then we are told to tell others of the wonderful things he has done. I can't wait to hear your stories.
May God richly bless you all.
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