Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Joshua 4:1-7
4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
I recently had the luxury of serving the Lord out in the Cayman Islands, and YES it was exactly as advertised. The island was beautiful, the food was delicious, and most importantly God moved in a mighty way at the church! On Sunday morning we had good ol’ revival! Praise the Lord! It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
What I decided to do while I was there was to try and take as many pictures as I could to remember the time, so that in an event that we have a snow-apocalypse here in Clarksville, I could look back to those photos and remember the good times I had in that nice weather. Also when I find myself perhaps in a season of discouragement, I can look back and see the memories of how the Lord moved that weekend!
Joshua, the fearless leader of Israel has taken the scene at this point in Joshua 4. God had just orchestrated another incredible miracle (which He is still in the business of doing by the way)–He stood up in the Jordan River, keeping it from flowing so that the Israelites could cross over it and go into the Promised Land! After they had crossed, God commanded Joshua to gather some stones and lay them down at the place where they were camping. The stones were to serve as a reminder for the people of Israel and their families to remember the time when the Lord moved in that area, in that season of life. It was at the Jordan River that God made a way for the Israelites to capture the Promised Land!
It is so easy as Christians when we go through troubling times to be so consumed in those times that we almost forget what the Lord has done for us in past seasons of our life. I know for me, if I am not careful, I am almost programmed to strictly focus on all the problems in my life (What I don’t have, what God hasn’t provided, etc..) instead of looking back and remembering God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises and how He has provided for me! It’s hard to rejoice in the struggle when you forget to remember how God has been faithful in your life in the past.
Let me encourage you this morning friend that the same God who was faithful to meet you in that dark season back then is the same God that can do it now. The same God who provided for you when you need it is the same God that is able to provide now. Hey! The same God that you saw as worthy of worship then is the same One who is worthy of worship now!
What are your memorial stones? I would encourage you to spend some time today looking back at those seasons in your life where the hand of God moved and journal them to have as reminders for you to look back to and see that God is still good and still in control in EVERY SEASON OF LIFE!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father! Thank you for your constant goodness in my life up to this point! I pray that I would be diligent in remembering your faithfulness when life gets tough! Help me to choose to worship You in every season of life because you’ve been good to me! In Jesus’ name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.