Remembering the Faithfulness of God

Reading through the Old Testament this spring I have found myself at times lost for words when I encounter the fickleness of the people of God. Over, and over, and over again they go through the same monotonous cycle.

For a while they follow God.
A short time passes.
They forget God’s faithfulness.
God gets their attention.
They repent.
God delivers them.

I started to get incredibly frustrated reading through centuries of history. Why couldn’t they figure it out? Why couldn’t they just do what was right?

But then it hit me. Perhaps my frustration with the pattern was not with them, but that it hit a bit too close to home. Isn’t this my story? Isn’t this your story? We all have a tendency to forget God’s faithfulness in our life.

In order to follow Jesus faithfully we must break this cycle and find ways to remind ourselves how his story has shaped our story.

Jesus gives us through communion a powerful means to remember what he has done for us. Regularly participating in the Lord’s Supper causes us to stop and remember the sacrifice that he made for us on the cross. In the midst of a life constantly bombarded with information it makes us remember the thing that matters most- our relationship with Jesus.

But it is also essential that we remember how he has specifically been involved in our story.

The moment Israel miraculously crosses the Jordan is one of the most pivotal events in Israel’s history. When the people crossed the Red Sea they were transitioning from a group of slaves to free people. As they cross the Jordan, they are transforming from a wandering band in the desert to a nation.

In Joshua 4:1-7, God tells Joshua to send a person from each tribe back into the dry seabed and bring out a stone to mark the occasion. They are to use it as a tool to teach their children and remind themselves of the great day when God stopped the flow of the Jordan river so they could pass through. It was to be a continuous reminder of God’s commitment to his covenant and people.

Like Israel, we are fickle. We have a tendency to forget his faithfulness in our lives. We need ways to mark crucial events in our own spiritual pilgrimage.

All of us have a story of how came to faith in Christ. Maybe you also have a story of how he healed you or a family member of some disease, guided you to make an important decision, shielded you from some physical danger, or helped you get through a tough season of your life.

These moments may not seem as significant as the splitting of a sea in two, but they are significant because they are moments where God changed your life. They are significant because they are your story. Remembering these events cause us to remember that the God who parted the Jordan is still alive and working in our lives today. They remind us how God has changed us.

There is a painting in my home that I bought on a mission trip in Haiti that serves as one of these reminders for me. I remember sitting on top of the roof one morning looking out at the city and I felt God asked me, “if I sent you to a place like this, would you go?” I paused. This would be a hard place. I sat for a few minutes and quietly looked out across the city of Port-au-Prince. I reflected on his faithfulness in my life and remembered that I have never regretted being obedient to him. Then full of faith I gave the response, “Yes, Lord. I’ll go wherever you want. I want to be obedient to go where you want me to go. I know that your plan for me is best.”

When I look at this painting it takes me back to that moment. It reminds me of God’s faithfulness in my life and his blessing in moments when I decided to be obedient instead of doing the thing I wanted to do.

How has his story shaped your story? Take a few moments and consider God’s faithfulness in your life. What moments have shaped you? When did he change you? What moments can you look back on and realize that he must have showed up, because it’s the only way you got through?

We need to remember these moments. Take some time to associate a couple of these memories with your own “memorial stone.” Each time you see it make a habit of remembering that moment. Let it be a constant reminder that the God who created the world and parted the Jordan is alive and working in your life as well.