Our Need to Remember

"Joshua set up twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day."
Joshua 4:9

After a long time in the desert, the Israelites finally crossed the Jordan River. God did a miraculous thing and they walked across on dry land. Joshua set up the twelve stones to be an altar, a memorial before God. He told the people that when their children and children's children asked what the stones were, they would always remember that this was where God performed a miracle, the place where they were delivered and brought into the promised land.
    I have times and places in my life where I have seen the miraculous hand of God. These were times when we needed him to show up and he did, times of breakthrough and deliverance. I have learned to set up altars. These altars need to be strong enough to withstand time and distance. They must be visible to me at all times, so I can say, "This was the time God delivered me." I set up altars by writing the events down on paper. For me, this is how I remember what God has done.
    God speaks to all of us. We hear words of direction, promises for our future, and encouragements to change our old ways. But sometimes we forget what God has said. In my life, God does not give me all the direction at one time. He speaks something that gives me direction and then at a later time, it is clarified more. If I do not pay attention to these and set up altars of remembrance, I will not be able to make sense of the things that are happening in my life. God will speak what he is going to do, and then he will do it. If we forget what he has said, we may feel lost in the events of life. We must remember so we can look back and see the hand of God moving on our behalf. 

    I know that all of us have memories of when God did something amazing for us. Go back and set up altars to commemorate those times and places. Remember what he has said, so that when change happens, you are not lost in the struggle. Pay attention to the direction he gives. Show the altars to your children, loved ones, and friends. Let them be visible enough that you never forget what God has done and said. You will be blessed, your children will be blessed and generations to follow will remember the legacy you left...remembering God.