Meditation
LEST WE FORGET Joseph Stowell
When your children ask their fathers in time to come, “What are these stones? Then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground’…That all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.” Joshua 4:21-22,24 NASB1977
Had you been there, you would have remembered that day for the rest of your life. God not only kept a centuries-old promise, but He did it in a way that few people had ever seen.
After years of wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel were poised to enter the Promised Land. Just one problem stood in the way, a raging river. It was harvesttime, and the Jordan was at flood stage.
How could they possibly cross into the Promised Land when its boundary was so dangerously impassable? How could God have brought them this far only to face an impossible barrier to the experience of His reward. They were soon to find out that God delights in doing the impossible to bless those whom He loves.
No sooner had the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stepped into the shallow edge of that torrent than the river ceased to roar. The riverbed dried. and the people finally completed their incredible journey to the land God had promised. Safe. Dry. Cared for.
Then God told Joshua to do one more thing before the priests and the ark left the riverbed. Twelve men-representing the twelve tribes of Israel —were each to gather a large stone from the middle of the riverbed. God wanted them to build a memorial so that when future generations asked the question,
“What do these stones mean?” they could tell their children what God had done for His people. God wants us to remember His gracious acts on our behalf. Right now, take a moment to jot down the major events that are worthy of a memorial to God’s work in your life, and come up with a tangible way for you and your loved ones to remember them. Plant a tree, make a simple plaque, or declare your own “Memorial Day” each year. Lest you forget!