January 15th, 2026
Read Joshua 4:1-7 NIV
MOVE forward without forgetting
1 “When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 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.”
In these verses today, God instructed Israel to build a memorial so future generations would remember His faithfulness. Remembering what God has done strengthens our faith for what lies ahead.
Each family usually has its own “historian.” There is often that one person who seems to remember all the details of the family memories and is quite willing to share. My mom was our historian. She remembered details of every family experience we have ever had, no matter what it was. She would share the story proudly, even if it might be a story we didn’t really want to be reminded of! She was the keeper of all the details, and she passed these stories down to each of us over and over and over again.
At times, we would find ourselves thinking, “Oh boy, here she goes again!” because we had heard the same story over and over again. If I am honest, which I like to be, those repeated stories brought an incredible sense of comfort and belonging to me. They reminded me of where I came from and what was involved in the journey. I cherished her stories because they were also my stories. Writing many of these stories down and continuing to speak them to one another has helped keep them alive within my family!
It is beautiful that God instructed Joshua to intentionally build a memorial so that those who were yet to come would remember His faithfulness! God knew we would need encouragement. He knew we would need reminders from time to time that He has done great things before and He will do them again! God not only knew we would need this, but He also was providing an example to us for sharing stories of His faithfulness within our own families and church communities. Remembering what God has done strengthens our faith for what lies ahead!
Questions:
How can you intentionally remember His faithfulness?
What has God already brought you through?
