I recently stumbled across a video of a woman of God urging us to write everything down. With tears in her eyes she posed the question, “How will you remember what God did in your life if you never take the time to process and write it down?” Sister, she’s right. Life is flashing by so fast. Between our jobs, running households, ministry, school, and all the things that pull at us each day, do we set our stones of remembrance down when God performs a miracle? Or do we thank Him quickly and move on? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself.
When I was a little girl I remember getting my very first notebook. It had a hard baby blue plastic cover with all sorts of colorful flowers and butterflies flying all over the page. I remember opening up the first page with a glitter pen and I wondered who I’d write to. Would I write to my older self so when I became an adult I could learn something from this sweet but broken little girl? Would I write to someone I admired or a made up pen pal? Maybe? But that just felt silly. I stared at the page, pen tapping the side of my cheek, and then I felt that I finally had the answer. I wanted to write to God. I read a book once about a girl who did the same thing and it just felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t know much about praying but I figured writing would have the same effect. So, that is exactly what I did, except this choice didn’t seem silly at all.
“He was reading every word.”
I grew up in church and I knew of Him. My life was consumed by Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, gospel preaching sermons, afternoon services, and midweek gatherings. I learned the stories, the Lord’s prayer, and went to the camps and all. But I didn’t KNOW Him. I was just a young girl, sitting on those green cushioned pews, seeing everyone around me worshipping this invisible God. To the outside world it may have looked chaotic and intense but every once in a while, if I didn’t fight it, I felt exactly what the church members felt. His beautiful presence. I didn’t know where faith in God would take me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, let alone did I think it would change my life the way it did. But when I needed to feel Him, like I did on sunny Sunday mornings, I just wrote “Dear God,” and told him everything. The great things, every struggle, when I liked a boy, every single thing was written in that butterfly journal. Every page added depth to our relationship. “God” wasn’t just a name that I sketched on paper; He became my Father, my confidant, and my very best friend. My words morphed into prayers and with every entry I grew more and more convinced that He was a very real God who wanted to know what was on my heart. And things began to happen. Prayers that hadn’t even left my lips were being answered, God was making ways, and moving things around on my behalf. He was reading every word.
When I’d lose hope, I’d go back and read. When I needed ideas, I’d go back and read. When I wanted to see progress, I’d go back and read about all the little miracles and victories that God had performed. Thank God He met me there as a child wondering who to write to. Sister, God wants you to write everything down. To remember. To never forget what He has done. It’ll carry you through as you wait for the next victory!
There’s a clear picture of this in the old testament. The Lord spoke to a man named Joshua. He was a man of great faith and Moses’ successor after he died. While on their journey to finally make it to the Promised Land, they passed the Jordan River where God displayed his glory and power. He told Joshua that as He was with Moses, He would be with Joshua in the same way. Joshua and the Israelites came to the Jordan River where the Lord parted the waters and allowed them to walk on dry land to get to the intended end. A journey that was supposed to take 11 days but in the end took 40 years. Once every priest, every tribe, every woman, man, and child crossed the river, the Lord commanded something so special.
Joshua 4:1-7 says,
“When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
Here me when I say that remembering is so important. It is biblical. It was the Lord himself that commanded the Israelites to lay stones of remembrance down in the sea so that they, along with generations to come, would never forget what the Lord had done for them.
Slow down. Don’t think that even the little victories aren’t that big of a deal. Truth is, it is. Even if the Lord isn’t literally parting oceans for you, in His own unique way He is moving on your behalf to show you that He is God and that He loves you. We are to meditate on what He has done. It’s what gets us through the next trial. It is how we overcome! Our lives can be a witness to others who need to know that if He did it for you, He surely can do it for someone else!
The enemy would love for you to forget. In times of trouble raise up a standard against the deceiver. Let remembrance and worship by your weapon! It will be enough!
Psalm 77:11-12 says,
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
Yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.”
When you need God to move, remember, and watch how He will display His glory and great power. I am considering that this is a point of pain, struggle, and uncertainty. Yes, it refines us like fire, but also, He wants to show up for you! Stand still and remember.
