Memorial Stones video

Anywhere in the world you go, you will always see memorial stones, markers, and monuments. These mark events in history or in one's personal life that are deemed so important as not to be forgotten. In Joshua 3 and 4, the Israelites build a memorial to mark the Lord's amazing deliverance for them.

As Joshua 3 opens, we find the nation of Israel camped at the east side of the Jordan River. They are preparing to cross the river and to take that first bold step of conquering the Promised Land, after 40 years of wandering in the desert.

The Israelites rested for three days beforehand. This extra time must have given them the opportunity to have a closer look at the river they were to cross. At that time, the river was at its flood stage, with strong and rapid currents coming from spring rains and melting snows in Mt. Lebanon, Mt. Tabor, and Mt. Hermon. Scholars estimate the river's width to be approximately 1-1½ kilometers, with a depth of 5-10 feet. The seeming impossibility of the crossing the flooded river must have raised their anxiety.

Joshua and the nation of Israel, however, did focused not on the dangers but on obeying God's command. Joshua told the people that on that day, they would know that the God they worshiped is a living God who lived among them.

Often, we too may be faced with daunting challenges in life – in the form of financial difficulty, sickness, addiction, relationship problems or other forms of spiritual and psychological bondag. But, God reminds us that, like the Israelites, we should not focus on the danger or on the seeming impossibilities of crossing the river but on Him – we should take that bold step of faith and obey no matter what. God is assuring us that He will fulfill His promise, deliver us, and be with us.

God is in the habit of keeping all of His promises. As He was with the nation of Israel throughout their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, so will He also be with us in our Christian walk. From beginning to end, we can count on God to be with us all the way, to be faithful to fulfill all of His promises. He said, “Lo, I will be with you even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

God had given the Israelites very specific instructions before they could claim the Promised Land. They had to cross the flooded Jordan River, and in order to do it, they had to take that first step into the water. Similarly, if we want to experience God's goodness, we too must let go, trust God, and take that step of faith. Like the Israelites, we must step into the water and get wet.

So, if we want to experience God's blessings, we must learn to surrender our lives. If we want to experience God's blessing and promises, we must faithfully tithe, for example. If we want to experience God's blessing, we must be a blessing to others.

While the Israelites were told what God would do, they probably could not visualize how God would do it. Without us being aware, oftentimes, God is already orchestrating things in our lives for our benefit. All that He is asking from us is to obey Him, wait on Him, and trust in Him completely. God is seldom early but is never late because God's timing is perfect always.

The Israelites experienced a tumultuous pilgrimage or exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. We will recall that their doubt had caused them 40 years of wandering in the desert. Since they doubted that God would give them victory over their enemies, God made them wander in the desert and the wilderness until that unbelieving generation had all passed away. After that, God miraculously parted the waters of the Jordan River so that they could cross on dry ground to conquer and claim the Promised Land.

Obviously, God knew that there would be times when they would face intimidating enemies and they would need a reminder that their God was powerful enough to protect them and to give them victory over their enemies. God did not want them to be tempted into thinking that they made a mistake in crossing into the Promised Land. God had, therefore, instructed them to construct a memorial stone on the banks of the Jordan River, so that whenever they returned to that spot, they would be reminded of God's awesome power, salvation and deliverance. This would give them the confidence that they needed to meet the new challenges that they would face as they completed the conquest of the Promised Land.

Similarly, we should have memorial stones or memorial markers to remind us of how powerful and faithful our God is. We will face trying times which will be full of seemingly impossible and insurmountable challenges. For example, the world is now experiencing an economic crisis the likes of which we have never experienced before. Therefore, God wants us to have memorial markers or spiritual markers to remind us that He is there, He is faithful, and He will provide for us.

What are the memorial stones or spiritual markers in your life?