Good Lord: A 5-Day Devotional From David LeonardSample

Back to Life, and I Gotta Testify

Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, 21 and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”

– Joshua 4:20-24

We are forgetful people, and we know it. That’s why we have calendars, apps, smartwatches, and virtual assistant devices in our homes. But even without modern technology, remembering is important, and that’s what Joshua 4 is all about.

In Joshua 4, God commanded His people to set up piles of stones to help them remember where they had come from. It had been a long road. They had been slaves in Egypt for about four hundred years until God miraculously led them out of that place. Then they’d spent forty more years wandering in the wilderness. But here in Joshua 4, by another miracle of God, they crossed the Jordan River into the land He had promised Abraham hundreds of years earlier. God’s chosen people were experiencing His goodness like never before. And in that new season of life, they were likely to forget all about Him.

So as they took those steps onto the other side into the promised land, God wanted them to set up a monument that would serve as a reminder of that crossing into the future. He wanted them to remember His goodness and to tell others about Him. In doing so, their children and many others would know to trust and follow God.

The God of Israel is the same God we can know today. But we, like the Israelites, are prone to forget. God calls us to remember His goodness and tell that story to others. He wants us to give people a reason to ask, “What is the meaning of these stones? What has God done for you?”

·How would this memorial result in fear of the Lord (v. 24)? How can your story have the same result?

·What about God’s goodness in the past is He calling you to remember to trust Him now? What are some ways you can seek to actively remember God’s goodness?

·Recall God’s goodness in your life and invite Him to help you see the opportunities He’s giving you to testify about His goodness to others.