Moments: Stones of Remembrance

Joshua 4:1-24 tells part of the story of God's guidance and provision for His people.  At the end of chapter 4 God instructs them to set 12 stones to remember their journey. Several years ago I wanted to find a way to keep the faithfulness of God before my family. I wanted a visual reminder of the ways God has blessed us, provided for us, and moved mountains on our behalf.   We came up with our “Stones of Remembrance”, which I’ll explain below. 

One of our largest “stones” of how God provided for our family was the financial provision for our first born Isaiah.  My husband and I had felt the Lord leading us to join a mission organization called Youth With A Mission.  That meant quitting our jobs, letting go of our insurance and moving away from our family and friends.  Three weeks after joining YWAM I became pregnant with Isaiah. Prior to leaving I had been told by an expert in fertility that I would struggle to get pregnant because of damage my reproductive organs had suffered during my stressful adolescence. We also were using birth control so you can imagine our surprise when the test we took was positive.  We had planned on waiting several years to be in a more secure place financially before having kids, but God had other plans. During my pregnancy people kept reaching out to me saying “I feel like God wants you to have this verse”,  and it was always Matthew 6:25-34.  To me this said, “Don’t worry about how you will provide for your child, I will provide for your family”.  We saw this was true time and time again during my pregnancy and in the months following Isaiah's birth.  

One of the greatest examples of this was 2 months after our son was born. We were weeks away from paying off the balance which was in the thousands for my doctors care during the pregnancy - we had about $100 to our names.  My husband was going through our files when he came across a tax return check for almost the exact amount, minus about $15 dollars, that had been issued a few weeks before our son was conceived. We were floored. Neither of us remembers getting that check, certainly we don’t remember filing it away and we would have surely spent it on other things had we been aware of it. It was as if God had hidden it from us until right when we needed it and then used the date it was issued to assure us that even before Isaiah was conceived God knew all we would need and had provided it.  This was a significant moment in time for our family.  Learning to trust that, as we step out in obedience, God is faithful to provide.  

What are some examples of God providing for your family that you want to make sure you and your children remember?  God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Remembering His faithfulness in small and big ways gives us faith and hope for the needs of tomorrow.

Joshua 4:21 - Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Stones of Remembrance

 What you will need

• Large glass vase
• Sand
• Stones
• Journal (optional)

Start by having one of your kids or yourself pour in about an inch or two of sand in the bottom of the vase and read Psalms 139 :17-18

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you."

Looking for a new Thanksgiving tradition?  Consider taking turns remembering times when God provided for your family and place a stone for each of those times. You may want to keep a journal and write down what your stones represent.  We keep our vase out year round with a bowl of stones next to it for whenever someone in the family is aware of God’s moving on behalf of them so we can continue to add to the vase.