Do You Remember When?

Joshua 4:21–24 NKJV

21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

My family and I love to share our memories. We will spend hours telling and retelling stories. However, sometimes I notice that our recollections vary. Someone will add a new detail the others did not remember. Then there are times when we think we remember and can’t recall all the details. On more than one occasion, someone will pull up a video or show a picture to help us try and remember what happened. There is something about a physical reminder that jogs our memory. When God’s people crossed into the Promised Land over the Jordan River, something supernatural happened. The priests took the Ark of the Covenant and stepped into the water first. Then, the waters rolled back and all of Israel crossed over on dry ground. When they entered the Promised Land, Joshua left a peculiar instruction. He told them to get some stones and set them up as a memorial. He wanted everyone in the future to know what God did for Israel. He knew that memories can fade and recollections can vary. Therefore, he made sure they had something to jog their memory. Every time someone passed those stones, someone else could retell what God did for Israel. It served as a memory to the past and an instruction to the future. From that day forward, no one had an excuse of not knowing the mighty power of God.

In life, though we do not set up stones as a memorial, we do have memorable moments with God. We must never forget when Jesus saved us, healed us, baptized us in the Holy Spirit, or helped us in our time of need. We need to tell and retell the goodness of God to anyone who will listen. God is faithful and He never leaves us. So when we get together with our friends and family as summer begins, no doubt will tell stories. Let’s make sure we pass on our spiritual legacy to whoever will listen. Give it a try, ask someone, do you remember when God… and then fill in the blank with a testimony of God’s goodness.