Every Stone Tells a Story

Graduations, weddings, pregnancy announcements, gender reveals. Baby’s first Christmas; first day of school. We are people who like to mark milestones and significant occasions. We have memorialized these events and milestones with parties and memorabilia. Now let's be honest (if you are old enough to remember), we have come a LONG WAY from the Glamour Shots and VHS family recordings of the 80s and 90s. (I'm still a fan of scrapbooking, so I am not going to knock that one) I know many of us would love to think we are 21st century trend setters, but alas, I am here to burst the creative bubble. The pioneer of all good things, including celebratory parties and memorials, is in fact the author of creativity itself - Yahweh.

I would argue that the first "memorial; mile-marker; picture" whatever you want to call it, can be found in the early pages of Genesis in Chapter 9. After the flood, God established a memorial that would stand for all time - the rainbow. From then until present, whenever the rainbow is seen in the sky, we REMEMBER the flood and we REMEMBER God's faithful promise. But let's take a deeper dive. 

If you were to open your Bible to Joshua 4, you would come to a significant turning point in the pages of history. God’s people had FINALLY crossed the Jordan River to go into the Promised Land. If you are unfamiliar with this story, let me bring you up to speed with a couple brief highlights.  

In Genesis, Joseph (son of Israel, aka Jacob), was sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. Though he endured many things, the Lord was with Joseph, and caused everything he did to succeed. Becoming second only to Pharaoh, Joseph provided great leadership during a seven year famine that crippled the world. During this time, all of his family moved to Egypt and settled into the land of Goshen.  

Moving into Exodus, we read of Joseph’s death, and an administration change in Egypt. The new Pharaoh did not love the Israelites as his predecessor did. In order to maintain control over them, the Israelites were forced into slavery by Egypt. For 400 years they suffered under these harsh task masters. Just as the Lord raised up a redeemer during the famine, He was raising up another to deliver His people from the bondage of their slavery. With a mighty showing of God’s awesome power, we see that the Lord confronts and confounds Pharaoh with ten plagues. When the Israelites are finally marching their way to freedom, they need intervention yet again. So with a mighty and dramatic flair, the Lord parts the Red Sea, and Moses leads the people through to safety. As a celebration and remembrance of this momentous occasion, Passover was instituted. 

What we see next is a bit of a shock to our systems (though it shouldn't be, cause we are painfully the same). The Israelites have had miraculous encounters with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. They have been rescued, given promises, faithfully provided for, and what do they do…..THEY COMPLAIN AND REBEL! Not once but several times, and as a result, end up on a 40 year detour through the wilderness. 

When that 40 years is coming to an end, and a generation has died off, another leader is raised up. Queue Joshua 4. God’s people have crossed the Jordan, and are to begin conquering their Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. But before they conquer, God commands them to remember. He has 12 men selected for each tribe, and these men collect 12 stones out of the Jordan, to build a memorial to mark this momentous occasion. Joshua also set up another memorial of 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan. These memorials, as well as the previously mentioned Passover and rainbow, stand as reminders of the Lord’s faithfulness and deliverance. 

What memorial stones do you have??? We all have them, though I’d venture to say that our memorial stones are a bit more aesthetically pleasing. Family heirlooms, carefully curated photo sessions, years of journal

entries. How do you commemorate turning points in your relationship with Jesus? What "stones" do you have that will point your children and grandchildren to the Lord's faithfulness and deliverance?

One such way for myself has been poetry. That began in my infant years with Jesus, barely learning how to walk with Him. I needed a way to process all that He was doing in my life. After a recent episode on our Conversations in Psalms podcast, I recalled a poem commemorating my redemption. The Psalm we were reviewing was Psalm 40 where David praises God for His deliverance from the pit. Like the Psalm, my poem highlights my being "lifted out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire.” (Ps 40:2 NLT) You can read that poem below from the point of view of Jesus speaking to me. The heading to this article is a picture of the corresponding painting that hangs on my wall as a visual representation of His rescue! May it help bring to mind your own memorial stones in your walk with Jesus! ~ Amber