Our Memorial...So That ALL Will KNOW

Yesterday at church, the sermon was taken from Joshua 4 where the Lord told Joshua, after crossing the Jordan, to choose 12 men to take up 12 stones on their shoulders from the middle of the Jordan River and build a memorial at Gilgal.  A memorial to remind generations of the time the Lord dried up the Jordan until the Isrealites could cross...just like he parted the Red Sea 40 years before.  "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.” (vs. 24)

The question posed to us was: WHY?  Why was it so important to make much of God here?  Everyone knew about his power and how He had worked in the past.  Why did God make much of Himself here?  The answer: "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.” (vs. 24)

 Here's what I found interesting as the pastor took us back to a little history of Gilgal (the place where Joshua was to build the memorial).  Gilgal was a major spiritual/holy location.  This was one of the three locations of the annual circuit court.  It continued as a special location where sacrifices were made.  It was the place where Saul was crowned as king.  (I'm sure I've forgotten other important events held there.  Sorry!  I'm not a theologian and I forgot a pen, so I didn't get to take notes.)  These were events that drew large crowds.  And, when those crowds gathered at Gilgal...they saw the memorial of 12 stones that should have reminded them about how God led the Isrealites and dried up the Jordan for them to cross.  When parents and grandparents told this story, they probably could've gone into even more history of the Lord's work...like when he parted the Red Sea.  And when he brought the Isrealites out of Egypt.  This memorial was built so that "all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful..."

What we must wonder is if this actually happened?  Did all the parents and grandparents continue to tell their descendents about what happened and what this memorial reminded them of?  We have to wonder if it did not.  Because, you see, Gilgal eventually turned from a "holy" location to a place of idol worship.

What happened to change the purpose of this location?

It's really speculation, but the pastor brought up his own thoughts.  And his thoughts slapped me in the face, to be honest.  He spoke about how when things become familiar, we tend to lose our reverence and respect for them.  We don't notice them as much.  We fail to see their significance like we once did.  We are left to wonder whether the people became too familiar with the memorial at Gilgal and failed to notice its significance anymore.  Did they fail to continue to tell the stories to their children?  Did they get so used to seeing the 12 stones at Gilgal that they lost respect and reverence?  This memorial was intended to be a sign "so that all the peoples of the earth would know..."  Not just know about God's power.  "So that [they] would know" his power and fear him.  

As the pastor's sermon continued, I began to find my own life lining up...more and more.  What memorials do we have in our lives that we have become too familiar with?  Do you have a memorial that God built "so that all the peoples of the earth would know that the hand of the Lord is powerful..."?  What in your own life is meant to be a reminder of how God has worked in the past, is working, and continues to work?  Have you become so familiar with it that you've lost reverence or respect for it?  Has it become unnoticeable?

A year ago, Russ and I were losing sleep and our appetites as we prayed day and night and dawn and twilight.  A year ago, friends and family members were sending us pictures of them "Praying for More" from all over the world.  Literally.  A year ago, we were trusting completely in God's power to build our family and fulfill the longing of our hearts in His way.

A year ago, God was preparing a memorial for our lives.  A memorial "so that all the peoples of the earth would know that the hand of the Lord is powerful..."  Not just a story of his power that others had heard about.  God's power was in the face of a beautiful blue-eyed baby girl.  God's power was in the weight of a sleeping baby in her mother's arms.  God's power was in the tears and smiles of a new daddy.  God created this memorial - not so others will know about his power - but for "all the peoples of the earth to know that the hand of the Lord is powerful..."

May Russ and I never become a "Gilgal of idol worship".  May we always remember to tell others about how God's power worked in our lives.  May this memorial, in the form of my angelic nearly one-year-old daughter, always be a reminder to our descendents, friends, family, and others..."all the peoples of the earth"...that the hand of the Lord is powerful.

The last part of that verse says "and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."  The verse changes from talking about "all the peoples" to talking about me.  "...And so that YOU may always fear the Lord your God." God created this memorial for others to know his power...and so that I may always "fear" him.  Some words used in translation for "fear" are: revere, worship, serve.  And plain old fear.  Not that we are scared of God.  Perhaps it's a different kind of fear.  A fear that we may defame the name of God.  A fear that we may disappoint Him.  A fear that He is fully capable of condemning me to hell.  But, because of His grace and mercy...I know He will not do that to those who believe in Him and accept Him as the Lord of their life.

Today, I was reading the blog of my college roommate (I labeled Nikki in the first picture collage in this post).  She and her family are anxiously and desperately waiting on THE CALL to go pick up their little boy.  They are adopting a 3 year old little boy from Colombia.  Luis turns 4 this month, and Nikki and her family cannot stand the idea of her son spending another birthday in an orphanage.  And they wait.  Oh, how that blog post took me back to a year ago. 

When we were waiting...

Waiting for our longing fulfilled.  Our memorial God created for His glory.

Waiting on the powerful hand of God "so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that [we] might always fear the Lord [our] God.”

There's power in the waiting.