The Value of Remembering

I find it easy to forget.  I forget dates.  I forget names.  I forget my wallet and my phone.  My wife even bought me a box to place my wallet, phone and keys in when I walk through the front door.   I often forget to use it.

Some things don't carry huge ramifications if we forget them.  I may not be able to drive to work if I can 't find my keys, but I know with a little digging I'll figure it out.  I mean, I did drive home so the keys must be somewhere, right?  If I forget to stop at the grocery store for milk, my life won't be over.

But other things carry significant weight in remembering or forgetting them.  I read this morning that the latest lottery winner lost her ticket.  That little misstep may cost her $350 million.  Though it would be painful to lose such a ticket, the woman will probably have fewer problems without the winnings.  Nevertheless, it reminds me of how some things are worth remembering....and making note of.

In Joshua, we see the Israelites finally, after 40 years, making their way into the Promised Land.  What that must have felt like!  It was actually a different group of people than the ones that left Egypt so long ago.  The unbelief of the first generation cost them entrance into the kingdom.  They would not make it because they were driven more by fear than faith.  Sad, but it sounds very familiar.

Nevertheless, what intrigues me most about this crossing of the Jordan River is two-fold.  First, this is a fulfillment of a promise made a long time ago.  This event speaks to the providence and faithfulness of God and that is One whose promise will always be carried out.  That gives me such comfort to know that He is the promise keeper.  That gives me added confidence that when I read in the book of Romans that God will cause all things to work together for our good for those that love him, I can embrace it with confidence.  Or that Paul reminds us that God is faithful to sanctify us.  "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."  Another passage that gives me great comfort is when the writer of Hebrews tells us to come boldly into the throne room in our time of need!  Amazing.  But it is all built on the faithfulness of God and there is no one anywhere more faithful than Him.

That's why I like to remember what He encourages us to remember.

As the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, God tells Joshua to have a member of each tribe gather a stone from the dry river bottom and then to make a pile on the Promised Land bank.  When asked why, the Lord said this special rock pile would serve to point people to God's faithfulness and "These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."  Between this event and the crossing of the Red Sea Joshua tells us that "He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."

How awesome is that!  God wants us to remember his marvelous faithfulness, consistency and sufficiency... regardless of our circumstances.  Those change, but he never changes!  Back in Genesis three He showed his redemptive cards, which equated to a promise.  Now, here, in Joshua, we see Him carrying out those amazing words, because it was from the Jews, making their way across this temporarily dry river into the promised land, that a Savior would be born.  The apex of redemption is realized on Easter morning!

Years ago, I started thinking through the "memorials" of God's faithfulness in my life and I was encouraged to see how many there were.  I started writing them down, too, so that on days when I flounder or get confused or become overwhelmed by my circumstances I think about those memorials and they help get my eyes back heavenward.  I remember talking to a very successful writer and speaker friend about how he seemed busy and motivated all the time.  I wasn't sure how he did it and so I asked him how he stayed motivated.  He said that he learned to live by his convictions more than his circumstances.  That stayed with me and I think keeping memorials appropriately before us about God's faithfulness helps us live more by convictions than by circumstances.

So, as I think about my salvation, my health struggles, my son's cancer at birth or a financial gift that allowed us to perfectly meet our needs or the multiple moments of God's protection, I am able to stand temporarily above the fray and see that there is a pattern of protection and provision.  All, of course, provided by a very loving, relational Savior.

I forget things all the time.  But some things remind me of the most incredible parts of life.  Those memorials always point me away from myself to the source of every good and perfect gift (james 1:17).
That's something I can't forget.  I like that.