“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”. Joshua 4 v 3
Can you still remember what you learnt in school? Do your school days feel just like yesterday or are they now a dim and distant memory? I know when my son was preparing for exams last year I found it hard to comprehend how there were subjects I had spent so much time studying for and yet now all the facts seem to have disappeared, like they never existed in my brain. And then I realise other things feel like they only happened yesterday. There are times when we hear a song from years ago, step back into a room or smell a meal that we used to have at our grandparents home and it’s as if we are transported back to that very moment.
There are some things we are struggling to remember and there are other things we are trying desperately to forget. Our memories are inconsistent and often hard to work out but the Lord obviously knows what an important part they will play in our lives or he would not have instructed us so many times to remember or not to forget. So why is it so essential for our Christian walk and what impact does the act of remembering have on us? “And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm.” Deuteronomy 5:15. These words, “remember that you were a slave”, are repeated 4 more times in Deuteronomy. The Lord keeps repeating this so that the Israelites would not forget what the Lord had saved them from. On the days where things didn’t look like they were going in the right direction they needed to stop and remember who was in control. You see the more we magnify the work of the Lord in our lives the greater the confidence we will have in His ability to rescue and deliver us in the future.
You would think being released from captivity after 400 years and walking free, loaded with the spoils of your oppressor, would not be an easy thing to forget let alone the parting of the Red sea and seeing your enemies swallowed up by the very waters that were held back for you. And yet God saw the fragility of human nature and their ability to easily become consumed by the moment. Within such a short time the celebrations stopped and gave way to moaning and complaining as the current trials overwhelmed their thinking and clouded their minds to the reality of who was actually responsible for fighting their battles. So the Lord commanded that memorial stones be set in place. Twelve stones, one representing each tribe. Every family could look back and see how their line had been saved by the Lord. This was a personal intimate reminder for everyone. Not just for that moment in time but for the generations. What they passed down would impact their sons and daughters and would build future hope and expectation to trust and believe in a God who was not limited by the resources or natural laws of this world. A God of the impossible, a God who is outside of our understanding and who longs to show us life from a heavenly perspective.
It is the same Heavenly Father who invites you to trust in him today. To take account of your own life. The journey that he is guiding you on, the times he has rescued you from poor decisions and bad attitudes. The people he has connected you with who have believed in you & encouraged you. The opportunities that have opened up before your eyes. Remember the Lord today. Thank him for his faithfulness & approach your future with an anticipation of what He wants to do in and through you!
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Unshakeable Hope Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021