"For the LORD your God dried up the
waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your
God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;
that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty,
so that you may fear the LORD your God forever." Joshua 4:23-24
Remember
God’s Work
When all the
people had passed over Jordan, Joshua commanded one man from each of the 12 tribes
to get a rock from the midst of Jordan and build a memorial on the Canaan side.
These verses tell us that the purpose of the memorial was to remind successive
generations of the power and faithfulness of God on behalf of His people. That
memorial would be an important landmark to those who would come after.
By the same
token, we need some memorials in our lives as well. However, we must use
caution. We do not want to embalm the past and by doing so cripple the future.
Many churches have done that and are suffering as a result. What we do want to
do, however, is remember the things the Lord has done for us so that we can
tell others about them so when we come that way again, we will remember that
the Lord was faithful in that day and that He will be faithful in this day as
well. Never forget what the Lord has done for you in your yesterdays. It is
those yesterday experiences that will tide you over when the trials of today
and tomorrow arise in your life!
The
Picture In The Memorial
It is
interesting to notice that Joshua constructed 2 monuments; one on the bank and
one in the river. These 2 memorials served 2 different purposes. Notice what
they were.
·
A Picture Of The Faithfulness Of God
- The one on the
bank of Jordan stood as a testimony to the faithfulness of God as I have just
mentioned. It was there to remind others of what the Lord had done and of what
He could do. Again, we need to remember the faithfulness of God in the past. It
will help us cross the Jordan we face today.
·
A Picture Of The Faith Of The People
- Now, what about
the rock pile in the river? No one could see it but God! It stood as a monument
to the faith of the people! You see, when you face a time of trial, others may
be guilty of misjudging your motives and actions because they can’t see your
heart. However, God knows the truth about your heart. Even though Israel
couldn't see it, they knew the monument was there! They remembered that they
had believed God then and it had worked. This was a monument in their hearts.
We need that
same kind of monument as well. As I said, too often we are misjudged by others
in our times of trial, but God alone knows you heart. When you have trusted Him
and He has brought you through, never forget it! Build that monument in your
heart, where only God can see it, and where you will never forget it. When the
tough times come again, and it will, look at that monument of His faithfulness
and of your faith and know that what worked before will work again. God will
bring you through your Jordan!
Some of you
are facing troubled waters now. I want you to know you can cross over. I
encourage you to go before the Lord. Tell Him about the Jordan you are facing
and allow Him to get you past it. There is a place of victory where you can
shout in spite of your troubles. The first step in getting there is dealing
with what is keeping you in your Jordan. It may be sin, it may be some person,
it may be some trial, but whatever it is, God
is greater than it is. Come and let Him take care of it for you.
Scripture
to Claim
I shall
remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
Psalms 77:1
Psalms 77:1
