Setting Up Memorials

(One of my memorials. I hung this picture in my living room. To read the story about it, click here)

There’s something about New Year's Day that motivates us. It causes us to dream and to plan for change. We look ahead to what we hope to accomplish and to gain. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, let's not forget all that God has done for us this year and years past. The Bible is filled with moments where God told His people to set up a memorial for the things He’s done and to pass these testimonies on to the next generation.
      One occasion of this is found in Joshua 3 and 4. On their way to Jericho, where God would tear the walls down, the Israelites had to cross the Jordan River. In fact, it was flood season and God had instructed them to walk through the river. Can you imagine being one of the Israelites and hearing this? It had been decades since God parted the Red Sea for those coming out of slavery in Egypt. In fact, this was a different generation, but God was going to show Himself both powerful and faithful.
      God stopped the flow of the Jordan so that the Israelites could cross on dry ground (Joshua 3:15-16). He knows how quickly we can forget, though, so He told Joshua to have stones set up as a reminder of the event. Listen as Joshua relays the command in chapter 4, verses 4-7 (NIV):

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. 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." 

      God is always moving in our lives. When we see what He has done, we have to be intentional about remembering it and passing the testimony along in order to encourage others in their faith. There are so many people today that don't believe in God or who do believe in Him, but don't believe miracles still happen. While many have chosen not to believe, a larger number of people just haven't been told the testimonies of what God has done. Think about it. It is easy for many to disregard what the Bible says as a work of fiction, but when these same stories of God's power and faithfulness are coming from people who are trusted, it is so much harder to deny.
      This next year, let us be intentional about not forgetting what God has done in our lives (specific things!).  Set up memorials to spark conversation and serve as reminders, make events out of them, write them out, create music or paintings, or whatever else you can think of. Let us make this our resolve: "We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done" (Psalm 78:4).
      It is our job to cultivate trust in the Lord and encourage others to follow Him. We don't have to make it difficult or teach a class. We just have to share our experiences and align them with what God says in the Bible. He is present today and others need to know and experience that.