Joshua 4:6-7 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.”
To step into the promised land, the Israelites had to cross Jordan. The River Jordan was flooded during harvest. So it was not knee deep from them to traverse. The Lord said, when “the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”(Joshua 3:13) . When the priests stepped in, the Lord of all the earth stepped in with them and the flood waters trembled, receded and warped up into a pile. The water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off (Joshua 4:16). After all the people had crossed over on dry ground, the Lord commanded twelve leaders from the twelve tribes to pick up twelve stones from the middle of Jordan as a sign to mark this miracle.
It is vitally important to “pick up stones” that serve as remembrance, recollection and celebration.
Stones that serve as symbols, signs and signals:
1. Verses: Underscore verses that jump off the page and enlighten your heart. Highlight, date and mark them. God’s Word is the weapon and the sword that defeats the enemy, animosity and entanglements. Make these verses as part of your vocabulary. Meditate, deliberate and recite these verses over and over again until they sink deep down in your soul. These will eventually become precious stones of remembrance on the crown of victory.
2. Presence: When the presence of God precedes our procession, victory will herald our progression. Victories does not come by influence, strength or wisdom but by the power of His presence. The ark of the covenant was with the Israelites for the past 40 years yet, at Jordan, when the ark went forward, the river went backward. Categorically, when the presence of the Lord is with us and He goes before us, the floodwaters of trouble, turmoil and treachery will curl, coil and cringe back. His presence will pave the way for us to pick up stones of testimony.
3. Lessons: Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is. Every test, trial or temptation leaves us with lessons and stones of remembrance. It is important to forget the pain of the past but remember the lessons, values, ethics, morals and spiritual standards. The lessons from our defeats, wrong choices and lousy decisions are more impactful to others than our success stories. Remember the greatest life’s lessons are usually learned from the worst times and from the worst mistakes.
Pick up stones of remembrance along the journey of life. Stones speak about our victories, miracles, success and narrates the valuable lessons from our mistakes, mishaps and messes. Pick up stones along the way.
Joshua 4:7b These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, nothing happens in my life without a reason. Help me to pick up memorial stones when I’m downtrodden, browbeaten or broken to rise up with precious stones of values, character and virtues. Amen
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