After the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, God led them across the Jordan river into the promised land of Canaan. This was not an ordinary river crossing. God stopped the Jordan from flowing and allowed the priests to stand in the middle of the riverbed, with the ark of the covenant, as the Israelites walked past. This spectacular event was an obvious miracle that God wanted His people to remember and pass down to future generations.
"Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.'"Joshua 4:5-7
Memorials are anything that help us remember a specific time when God revealed Himself and said: "I am here!" We must never forget the miracles in our life, or the times God gave us clear direction or rescued us from darkness.
When David went to fight Goliath, he did so without fear because he knew: "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" 1 Samuel 17:37. David had seen God's power and felt His presence during previous battles. It's easy to imagine David with a lion's tooth or a bear's claw around his neck as a reminder that God was very near.
The presence of God is a wonderful place to be - it's where our Heavenly Father desires for us to live each day of our life! But His presence can often be illusive and fragile; when we find it, it seems to quickly fade away. Most of us have so much input from the world that we become easily distracted from God. We must not allow this to happen!!
We must become more aware of God as He works in our life and in the world around us. As we see and hear Him, we must find ways to create memories for ourselves and those we love; "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago" Psalm 77:11. Memorials help and encourage us to remember.
May we never forget that He is by our side and desires for us to draw, and remain, near. Imagine if we could be a living example of a life devoted (each and every moment) to God. Let's regain the heart of worship and share the stories of God's love. Let's remember...and look for ways to create lasting memorials.
- steve troxel
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