“In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” — Joshua 4:6-7
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Coming up soon, I’ll be teaching a class about preaching for a pastor’s conference at my home church in Dallas, Texas. Whenever I go to my home church, it feels like a homecoming — I get to see many longtime friends who are like family to me. In the foyer of the church is a display with 12 stones. There is nothing special about these stones, but next to each one is a written reminder of God’s faithfulness to that church.
In Joshua 4, the Israelites are crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land. The Israelites are to gather 12 stones from the middle of the river and use them to set a memorial where they are camping. The memorial is so that future generations will see it and ask what the stones mean. The stones are a reminder that God once dried up the Jordan River so God’s people could enter the Promised Land. The stones are a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
Because we quickly forget God’s faithfulness in our lives, a spiritual discipline we can practice to remember God’s faithfulness is journaling. Like the 12 stones, journaling is a way to tangibly remember.
So, regularly write down prayers you’ve prayed and how God answered those prayers. Write down what you are grateful for. Periodically, go back and read old journals, and you’ll see God’s faithfulness. And when you see it, give Him praise.
— Ikki Soma, Iowa Wolves chaplain
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