The Israelites stood at the side of the Jordan river, having just crossed, and they were listening to their next instructions. Before any battles, before facing any enemies, before the fall of Jericho, God instructed them to gather stones. Twelve stones, one for each tribe in Israel. Not just any stones either, they were to be gathered from the middle of the river—where the priests were still standing, on dry ground, with the Ark of God. Then Joshua set them up.
Why? According to Joshua, the stones would remain at this place so that in the future, when their children would ask, “what do these stones mean?” They would tell them the story of God parting the Jordan River. The stones were to be “a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:7). Furthermore, the stones were to serve as a reminder “so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you may always fear the Lord your God” (verse 24).
One would think that stories of the miracles and the power of God would easily continue to be passed down and taught throughout future generations. However, not many years after Canaan was conquered, Israel had already forgotten. Tragically, their grandchildren were already worshiping pagan gods.
How could this happen? How can people so easily forget what God has done in their lives? How did these “people of God” forget their God? Yet, it continues to happen today. Many claim to be “Christian” yet forget about Christ in their daily lives.
Moses warned the Israelites, in Deuteronomy 8:10–14, that something would come that would challenge their memories: A life of peace and personal success. Because of this, Moses counseled them to praise the Lord for everything they received, otherwise they would become proud and forget God. Truly, the greatest danger in their success was that Israel could begin to think they were doing so well because of their own efforts (vs 17). As scripture reveals, though, they didn’t follow Moses’ advice.
Sadly, in times of plenty, we also tend to forget about God, rather than praise Him for His blessings. Sure, when we’ve reached “the bottom” it feels necessary to look up, but what about when we reach “the top”—the times of peace? We call on God when we are sick, but do we remember to praise Him when we are well? We seek God when we have nothing, but what about those times when we seem to have all we need?
We think we are rich! We have great churches and cathedrals, extravagant worship services with incredible musical talent, and a warm caring atmosphere. Yet that incessant knocking (Revelation 3:20) just won’t go away: something’s not right. You may have even felt that, with all that you have, there’s still something definitely missing.
We need a reminder of the greatness of our God so that we can learn to fear God again. We need to remind ourselves where we have been, how God has delivered us, and how far He has brought us. That’s what the stones were for: memorials of God’s greatness.
Photo by Flo P on Unsplash
So we must return to the stones. What stones have you set up? Have you set up any? Maybe you’ve kept a journal. Maybe you scrapbook (or Instagram) events in your life. Perhaps you’re simply relying on your good memory. Regardless on how you’ve set up your stones, there are memorials established in your mind of how God has worked in your life—a song, a text, a special location. Go back to those memorials and meditate on those times you experienced the greatness of God.
Of course, it is possible that you have not set up any stones lately. Unfortunately, if we live our lives forgetting God, we do not recognize His blessings and will not remember them. So you may have to go back further. You may have to go back to when you first heard the gospel—when you first looked upon your Savior hanging on the cross. Go back to the first time you felt God working in your life. Who cares how ancient the stones are, revisit those memories and remind yourself of why you fell in love with God.
But this will take effort. You will have to want it. Do you want to know God—to experience Him? Do you want a revival in your heart? If so, then make a decision right now to seek God with all of your heart—put everything you have into knowing Him more. Then, as God says, “‘You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13, 14).