Monument — a 5-Day Devotional With Andrea OlsonSample

"In awe of who You are

Amazed by all You’ve done

Building an altar

I will remember"

           -Lyrics from “Monument”

Life is full of the unexpected. When the unexpected disappoints us or even devastates our lives, we can all-too-quickly forget that God always comes through, even in the darkest of times. We may not know exactly where the road ahead will lead, but we do know where we’ve been. And when we face trials, it’s essential to have set monuments in place to look back on and remember. When hard times come, our heads and hearts need an even greater reminder to testify of God’s goodness. Because when we choose to focus on gratitude and praise, our perspective shifts.

We all have monuments we can build, praises of thanksgiving we can choose to lift up. For the Israelites, they were not done fighting battles. Still, they made a conscious choice to stop and build a monument as a declaration of praise for their present deliverance and as a testimony of faith for future generations to remember. When trials came in the future, they could look back and remember God’s miraculous faithfulness, which would give them the courage to press on.

What has God done recently that you never want to forget? It may be a lifeline for you in the future or testimony to future generations that points people to Him. As you reflect today, ask the Lord to reveal that to you, and then write it down as your monument of praise.