Remember

'When the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 

"Take twelve stones from her 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."

Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 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, 

that this may be a sign among you. 

When your children ask in time to come, 'what do those stones mean to you?' 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 the people of Israel, a memorial forever.'

Joshua 4:1-7

God calls us to remember. 

God commands us to remember. 

God allows us to remember. 

As God's chosen people had finished crossing the Jordan river, God knew the nature of man and the nature of man to forget which is why He commanded them to select memorial stones. 

All over Scripture, we see people building altars before the Lord as a memorial of what God has done, and still today we erect memorials, declare national holidays and celebrate anniversaries all in the honor of remembrance. 

Taking the time to remember is critical, not to mention Biblical. 

I believe that God allows us to--commands us to-- remember, not only for our own sake but for the sake of those that come after us. 

Joshua told the people to tell their children of the great things that God had done for as time moves forward, it is easy to forget the great and wonderful things that God has done in the past. 

Far too often we forget that which we ought to remember and remember that which we ought to forget.  When it comes to extending mercy to another, it is easy to forget the dark pit that God rescued me from and the mercy He extended and continues to extend to me. When it means walking in liberty and freedom, it is easy to forget that Christ broke the chains of sin and I am no longer a slave to it (Galatians 5:1).  

In Psalm 51, David begs God to restore to him the joy of his salvation. Sweet Jesus, can I relate! I see this in my marriage, in my parenting, in my walk with God....the need to remember His goodness and savor His faithfulness. As I walk with God, it is so easy to get sucked into the day to day, allowing the joy of my salvation to slip away and allowing my heart to become consumed with what I expect from God all the while forgetting who God has always been thus clouding my vision of who God is at this time. The joy of marriage is replaced with the unmet expectations of marriage. The joy of parenting is replaced with the arduous task of caring for, teaching and training these sinful little ones. The joy of life is weighted down by the insecurity of self and the focus of self. Oh God--that you would restore to us the JOY OF OUR SALVATION! 

Just as Joshua selected twelve memorial stones, Moses held onto his staff, and God created the rainbow, my prayer today as I journey through life today is that I would remember. When I look at my children that I would not see the flaws in their character or the downfall of sin, but rather that I would remember God's faithfulness in my fertility and that I would teach them who God is and who God has been to me. 

Today I will remember and take joy in what God has done. 

Today I will tell of the wonderful things He has done. 

Today I will allow the memory of what God has done for me to impact the way I serve others. 

Today I will allow the memory of God's unmerited mercy towards me to change the way I extend mercy to others. 

Today I will teach my children how great God is rather than expect someone else to do it. 

Today I will share a story of God's faithfulness with someone in spite of heart ache, hurt or disappointment. 

Today I will take a moment to remember who God is, who God has been and who God has promised to be. 

Today I will remember.