Picking Up a Stone

In Daily Devotional by Impactus

Theme of the Week: Impact for the Year

Bible Verse: 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.” Joshua 4:6-7

Scripture Reading: Joshua 4:1-24

A hat, a t-shirt, a snow globe, a photograph, a plaque, a wedding ring. We mark special occasions—places, people, and events we want to remember—with a variety of souvenirs. These trinkets, sometimes small, sometimes large, always important, help us remember something specific. When we look at them, or wear them or use them, we remember.

When Israel crossed the Jordan river into the land God had promised to their ancestors, God told them to go back into the river and take out 12 stones, one for each of the tribes. They piled those stones into a heap as a memorial to what God had done. That memorial was for all Israel, present and future so they could share with each other the memory, the story of how God had delivered them.

I wonder what the men thought as they walked back into the river to get the stones. They were to take stones from the middle of the river. This was on purpose. Any old stone would not do. They were to take stones from the place that the priests were standing. These stones were things they could not see until God did what only God could do. These stones were available only because God had stopped the river. The memorial, the souvenir, was not possible without God’s action.

God moves and we need to remember what He has done. God changes us, sometimes in big ways, miracles, and sometimes in small ways (honestly, no less miraculous). We need ways to remember how God has done these things for us so that we can tell others about them.

Prayer: God, I confess that sometimes I don’t see or feel what you have done in me and for me. Help me to remember better so that I can share your work with others in my life.

Reflection: Find a souvenir that reminds you of something God has done for you.


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Impactus
Equipping men for a life of purpose and godly impact. For over twenty-five years, Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada has been at the forefront of calling men to follow Jesus Christ, and to be men who will have a godly impact in their families, workplaces, churches, and communities. We are expanding our impact and influence by being faithful to Jesus’ command—“Go and make disciples.”
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Impactus
Equipping men for a life of purpose and godly impact. For over twenty-five years, Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada has been at the forefront of calling men to follow Jesus Christ, and to be men who will have a godly impact in their families, workplaces, churches, and communities. We are expanding our impact and influence by being faithful to Jesus’ command—“Go and make disciples.”