Last time we looked at Joshua 3:5 and the command for the Israelites to consecrate themselves or to set themselves apart for the service and worship of God because the Lord was going to to do wonders among them.  Today, we see that wonderful, amazing event and an even more important response.

After the Israelites consecrate themselves, they pack up and do just as God had told them to do.  They broke camp and marched to the Jordan river.  The priests were ahead of them carrying the ark of the covenant.  They got to the riverbank of a flooded Jordan river and as soon as the priest feet went into the water, the water stopped flowing upstream and all the people crossed over on dry ground.  Sound familiar?  Apparently, God really enjoys stopping up rivers and seas.

But then the Lord tells Joshua to pick a man, one from each tribe and pick out a stone from the middle of the Jordan river.  And it seems these were not small stones because the text says that they were to carry the stone on their shoulder.  So the men do this and return to shore and then Joshua calls the priests to come out of the middle of the river and they do.  And the text says that no sooner had the priests feet touched the opposite river bank the water returned to its flood stage boundary.  God truly did something amazing among the people.  And that brings me to today’s insight in verse 5 and 21 of chapter 4.

And…

Here we see the importance of marking, remembering what God does among us, through us, and what he teaches us – those moments of spiritual significance.  And it is important for a couple of reasons.

Remembering what the Lord has done is important so we can describe who God is to the next generation. Joshua mentions children, future generations and descendants.  So it is important for us as believers to make special notes of lessons God teaches us or situations of spiritual significance so we can share with our children about the character and nature of God.  It provides an opportunity to disciple future generations.

Remembering what God has done is important because it is an avenue for evangelism.  Joshua tells the people that the Lord performed these things so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful.  Wow.  When God works among and through us that becomes apart of our testimony.  That’s really what remembering is all about.  It’s adding to your testimony to point to the grandeur or our God.

Remembering the ways in which God works provides an avenue to worship Him. Joshua says the peoples will know about God’s power and “so that you may always for the Lord your God.”  By thinking back to what he has done in our lives and reflecting on those moments of spiritual significance, we are then brought to a place of worship and awe of who God is and what he has done.

When God does something powerful or meaningful in your life or when he teaches you something in his word be sure to mark it.  Write it down, make it a piece of art to hang on the wall, frame a photograph, make a video or maybe, like me, blog about it but have something to serve as a reminder of what God did in you or through you so that you can remember, tell your children, share your testimony, and worship God just like the Israelites.

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