May we remember what God has already done, and let it give us hope, faith and confidence to trust in Him.

In the beginning of the book of Joshua, God was about to lead the Israelites, most of whom had grown up following Him through the wilderness, into a new area: the land of Canaan. God had promised that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would have this land one day, and the day was almost here.

This group of people were very young when God parted the Red Sea and allowed them to escape from Egypt. One of the first things God did for them was perform another major miracle:

Joshua 3:9-13: ⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. ¹¹ See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. ¹² Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

God was building up this generation of Israelites, giving them their own faith stories so they could have confidence in Him (see verses 9-10).

While the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River, God had them select twelve stones from the middle of the river. These stones were to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. The stones remained there for not only that generation, but for future generations to be able to ask about it and hear this story of what God had done for the Israelites. “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (see Joshua 4:4-7, also 4:19-24).

What happens when we forget?

When we forget what God has done, we tend to drift away from Him. At the end of this book, we learn this:

Joshua 24:31: Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

The person who wrote Psalm 106 talks about the previous generation of Israelites, the ones who experienced God doing plagues and delivering them from Egypt when He parted the Red Sea. But, when they forgot what God had done, they forgot the God who saved them. They exchanged their glorious, living God for an image, they did not believe his promise, they grumbled and did not obey the Lord (see Psalm 106:13-27). When this generation forgot what God had done, they turned away from Him.

That is a warning to me – it seems like the two options are 1) to remember what God has done and to serve Him, or 2) to forget and fall away from my love for Him. I prefer the first option.

What can I do to physically remind myself of amazing things God has done for me?

In one small group I was in, we wrote prayer requests on post-it notes and put them on a poster board. When they were answered, we took the same post-it and put it into a glass jar, which became our “Answered Prayer” jar. In my journal, I frequently write three things I am thankful for – which I can look back on. Now, I’d like to put up a poster board in my room with post-its of answered prayers – a physical reminder of what God has done for me.

What can you do to remember what God has done for you?

Life Lesson: May we remember what God has already done, and let it give us hope, faith and confidence to trust in Him.