By Lance E.DankoHave you ever forgotten something? God knows were often prone to forget, so He provides us with stones of remembrance.We see this illustrated after God miraculously parted the waters, enabling the Israelites to cross the Jordan River on dry land and ultimately enter the Promised Land.
Joshua then tells the twelve men chosen from each of the twelve tribes of the Israelites,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, to serve as a sign among you.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 4:5-7, NIV)So, what should these twelve stones assembled as a memorial serve to remind us of? Think of the acronym R.O.C.K.R stands for Remember as we are to remember those times in our lives where God has shown us His power and provision.
This is similar to looking into the rearview mirror while driving, which helps us to keep our perspective, to better understand where weve been and just how far weve come.O means Obey since you have to obey God in order to see miracles happen in your life just as the Israelites did.As a result of their obedience, God miraculously parted the raging waters at flood stage enabling them to cross over on dry land.Similar to the Israelites, we are to obey God even when things dont make sense.
After all, God often does His best work at flood stage.C signifies we are to Count Our Blessings since this is the key to remembrance.We can thank God for our future while remembering His hand in our past.It should come as no surprise that counting our blessings helps us to remember and more clearly see the goodness of God in our lives.
The Bible tells us we are to give thanks to the Lord in all circumstances and situations.K stands for Keep Telling Others.When we spend time remembering and thanking God, the joy of those memories should spill over into our conversations with others.Stones should not just remind us of our own story, but serve as a reminder to share our story with others, including our children and grandchildren.In todays society stones are often used for building.
When we remember what God has done for us, we are ultimately building our faith.So, the next time you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, make it a point to recall the acronym R.O.C.K.and the significance of these twelve stones of remembrance.
Publisher: Life Plan Community ( Read More )
