Remembering Stones

When the Israelites passed through the waters of the Jordan on dry ground, God instructed one man from each of the 12 tribes to pick up a stone from the river bottom.  Whenever they set up camp in the Promised Land, they were told to construct an altar with those stones, which would serve as “….a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”  (Joshua 4:7).   Joshua explained to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’  Tell the….. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what He had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”  (Joshua4:21-24) 

God knew they would quickly forget what He had done for them and that they would need a tangible reminder of how He set them free from Egypt, cared for them in the desert, and gave them a land of their own.  Those 12 stones would serve as a constant reminder for generations to come.

Like Israel we need reminders of God’s miracles in our lives.  On our kitchen counter we have a wooden bowl that I turned on my lathe.  It is filled with stones from many places.  Each one has a story that is important to me – one is from Masada, another from Wittenberg, yet another from a mine at Holden Village, and at least a dozen more.  For me stones of remembering more importantly include the reading of Scripture, a time of worship, a faith sharing moment, the cross that hangs in every room of our house, my participation in the Lord’s Supper, and so many others .  How do you remember God’s goodness and grace in your life?  How do you pass on the faith and help others remember?  What are your remembering stones?