14 AUGUST
GILGAL

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.” (Joshua 4:20, NIV)

In my library at home, I have a collection of souvenirs that I bought from the countries or cities I have visited in the last twenty years, in remembrance of such places. Recently, I realised that I should have labelled each of these items, as I seem to be forgetting what a few of them represent.

God asked Joshua to collect twelve stones out of the Jordan as they crossed, to represent each of the twelve tribes of Israel. This was to serve as a memorial of the miracle of cutting off the waters of the Jordan before the ark of covenant, for the Israelites to pass over on dry land into the Promised Land. These stones were set up at Gilgal, as I set up my souvenirs in my library. While my souvenirs seem not to have eternal value, I now have a better perspective of them, based on this passage. They remind me of God’s provisions and power, as intended by the memorial of the stones.

These stones were for the future generations of Israelites to see, hear the story behind them and get acquainted with the Almighty God. What “stones” have we picked to set up in Gilgal, at the times that our Jordan parted? We need to have memorials, dates and places we set up for our children to see, hear the story and learn about the awesomeness of God. We need to tell them testimonies of our salvation, answered prayers, provisions, protection, healing, prayer altars, and so forth. In doing so, we will be keeping memories of God’s faithfulness alive in our family, from generation to generation.

ACTION: Begin to document and tell testimonies of God’s faithfulness to your children (biological and spiritual).

PRAYER: Lord, grant us grace to show our children and tell them the story of the “stones” we have collected and placed at the “Gilgal” of remembrance.