The memory of what God did is ground for faith.
The Memorial of Stones
Faith grows stronger when we remember, in concrete ways, what God has already done
This short devotional is about faith, from Joshua 4:6.
to serve as a sign among you
Joshua 4:6
The scene
We are at the Jordan River, the gateway to the promised land, full at harvest time.
After forty years in the desert, Israel arrives with Joshua at the Jordan River, at the gateway to the promised land. It is harvest time and the river overflows, but the priests step in with the ark of the covenant, and the LORD stops the waters.
The people cross on dry ground, and twelve men take twelve stones from there. At Gilgal, they stay “to serve as a sign among you”: when the children asked, the parents would tell what God did.
The stones were there so the children could ask and hear what God had done.
The children would ask, and the parents would tell what God did. Faith is passed on by telling His goodness. Receive this inheritance.
In our day
We forget quickly: an answered prayer becomes just another ordinary day, and in the next difficulty it seems God did nothing at all.
Israel carried stones from the middle of the river to remember. We can keep signs too: a note, a conversation telling what God did. And the greatest memory we have is the cross of Jesus, where God showed His love for us all at once.
Trust. The children of Israel set up the stones as the LORD told Joshua.
God’s word guided each step of the people, and He keeps caring for His own. Rejoice with Him and give thanks for what He has already done on your path.
Gratitude. The children of Israel set up the stones as the LORD told Joshua.
God’s word guided each step of the people, and He keeps caring for His own. Rejoice with Him and give thanks for what He has already done on your path.
Joy. The children of Israel set up the stones as the LORD told Joshua.
God’s word guided each step of the people, and He keeps caring for His own. Rejoice with Him and give thanks for what He has already done on your path.
Longing. The priests stood still in the middle of the river until the whole people had crossed.
The ark stayed in the middle of the waters while the people crossed. When memory fails, God remains present and faithful. Count on Him.
Doubt. The priests stood still in the middle of the river until the whole people had crossed.
The ark stayed in the middle of the waters while the people crossed. When memory fails, God remains present and faithful. Count on Him.
Weariness. The priests stood still in the middle of the river until the whole people had crossed.
The ark stayed in the middle of the waters while the people crossed. When memory fails, God remains present and faithful. Count on Him.
Today, at the end of the day, I will write down one thing God has already done for me and thank Him for it.
God opened a way where the river overflowed.
Showy faith doesn't hold you up. The faith that holds is the kind lived in the dark.
Cordeiro Devocional
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