December 19 – Joshua 4:1-7

December 19 – Joshua 4:1-7

4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, ³ and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” ⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. ⁵ And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, ⁶ that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ ⁷ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

God instructs Joshua to have a man from each tribe gather a large stone and stack the stones together. This is a memorial built according to God’s instructions. As the generations pass this memorial, a reminder of God’s faithfulness will be present. They will have passed down the story of this occasion to their family for generations to come so that all who see this memorial will be reminded of what God had done for them.

Is there a visual memorial in your life?

Is there an item that reminds you of God’s faithfulness?

Heavenly Father, as I reflect on how faithful You always are, I can’t help but be thankful for the many times You have shown up and shown off in my life.  There are so many things in my life that are reminders of how much You have done for me and my family.  There are times I wish I had a “memorial” but I also know that can be a double-edged sword where we as people can end up worshipping the item instead of You, and I never want to do that.  How often did Your children make that mistake as You were trying to get them out of Egypt and then out of the wilderness?  Help me to look at things that represent You and how You have shown Your love for me, and just think of You and not worship those items.  When I look at my husband I can’t help but think of the miracle of You healing Him from cancer.  I look at my daughter Jen and all I can think of is the miracle of birth and how You form each and every cell in our bodies.  When I look at any of my spiritually adopted children I think about the miracle of love You have given me for all my kids, not just the one I had the wonder and joy to feel grow inside my tummy.  All of my kids grew in my heart, and I know this love can only come from You.  Thank You for the many miracles You have given me and the reminders I see everywhere I look of Your love and how You work to show Your love to me daily.  Help me never forget who You are, and what You have done for me.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen!