Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, “When your children ask their fathers in the future, 'What is the meaning of these stones?' you should tell your children, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'" - Joshua 4:20-22
After Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they took twelve stones (as God had commanded) from the riverbed and erected a memorial on the western bank. The river, at flood stage, was a formidable obstacle, but God stopped its flow and a nation crossed on dry land. These stones served as a memento of their miraculous crossing, but also a reminder of God's divine involvement in their provision and protection. In truth, we have all experienced formidable obstacles in our lives and God has often brought us through to "the other side."
What are your memorial stones? Where are they found? As you consider your life, what mementos exist that remind you of God's divine provision and protection? No doubt, as with the Israelites, they will most likely come from the "middle" of your experience. When you consider your great "Jordans," you will no doubt be able to extract your own "stones" like:
- words of encouragement from unlikely sources
- passages of Scripture found at just the right moment
- peaceful moments of assurance direct from the Holy Spirit
What are your memorial stones? Maybe it is time to ponder them anew and remind yourself that it is God who has brought you through it all.
Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved. - Thomas Fuller
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