Wednesday, May 20, 2009

What Do These Stones Mean to You?

When Israel crossed the Jordan under Joshua (Joshua 3) it was a significant landmark for the people of God.

To remind them of this event, God instructed Joshua to have one man from each tribe take a stone from the Jordan and bring it to where they were lodging, with the instruction,

"...when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever. (Joshua 4:6b-7).

When they came up from the Jordan and the waters returned to where the ground had been dry, they set the stones in Gilgal as a memorial.

What have you "set" in your life as a memorial to the victories God has attained in and through you?

For years I carried a matchbox car in my pocket to remind me that He accepted me as His son.

Then I began carrying a leaf from a silk tree to remind me of how Zacchaeus came down from the tree, out of hiding, and that He had also called me by name.

In the noise, hurry and crowds of our life we must remember what God has done for us.

In Gilgal, speaking about this memorial, Joshua said to the people,

“When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21b-24)

Set a memorial marker in your life today.