Monuments Sample

//Stones of Remembrance//

Do you ever lose things? Sometimes, I feel like the most forgetful person on earth. I lose my keys and phone almost every day. I had to get an Apple Watch, just so that I could ping my phone. Thank you, Jesus for the Tile, because now when I find my phone, I can find my keys. It’s funny how easily we can lose Important things.

When the Israelites left Egypt, God had promised Moses that He would lead them from slavery to a land flowing with milk and honey. Somewhere along the way, they lost sight of the promise. It wasn’t until their children’s generation, that they finally reached the river to cross into the Promised Land. God parted the waters and commanded Joshua to have a man from each tribe carry a stone from the riverbed across to the other side and build an altar to remind their children of the promise that their parents had been given. This was a monument to all generations of a promise that had taken multiple generations to come true.

It’s easy to lose sight of God’s promises and the things he has already done, when things get hard. In the chaos of life, we get so focused on today, that we forget yesterday and its promises for tomorrow.  God doesn’t judge us for being forgetful. Instead, He shows us how to remember. We need to build altars using pieces of our story to remind us of what happened. 

Everywhere I go, I gather stones. Usually, they’re small rocks or shells or leaves. I keep them in jars and use them to decorate my home and garden. When I am feeling lost or overwhelmed, I can look at my stones and remember all the places I have been and the miracles that I have seen. And when people ask me about them, I get to share what God has done for me.

We need to collect reminders of our past, tangible objects that remind you of God’s promises, and put them where others can see. The altar that Joshua built was designed to make people ask what they meant. God wants to use our story to encourage not only ourselves but others. 

THINK ABOUT IT! Why do you think the people living in the Promised Land needed to be reminded how they got there?

APPLY! When God shows up, take a moment to collect a “Stone of Remembrance.” Find something that works for you, that you can save, and use it to remind yourself when that moment has passed. 

PRAY! Lord, help me remember you in ALL the moments. The promises that You have given me apply in both the best of times and the worst of times. Your presence surrounds me just as strongly today as it did yesterday and will tomorrow. Help me to not forget all that you have done and will do for me.