He Will

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act. 

Psalm 37:3-5 

Stones

We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask you, "What do these stones mean?"

Then you can tell them, "They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Covenant went across." These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.  -- Joshua 4:6-7

If each one of us looks back at his / her life, we can clearly trace a beautiful pathway of God's faithfulness to us. Just as someone embarking into new territory leaves a trail of pebbles behind him to bring him back to the beginning again, it is vital for a Christian to remember those moments of God's deliverance, His miracles, His faithfulness, by recording them upon a page, by marking them upon his heart, or by sharing them aloud with others beside him. With these testimonies, we can leave a trail behind us for others to follow and for us to fall back upon when we have forgotten the way to the Father.

I have always love the idea of the Ebenezer, the monument of stone set aside to remind us of what God has done. A stone is an immovable object -- something that withstands the test of time. Just like God, who is immovable, who is our rock:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust -- Psalm 18:2

For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? -- 2 Samuel 22:32

Such said David, a man who endured the most chaotic circumstances in his lifetime. Nothing in his life was ever quite stable -- except for His God. He was the rock David leaned upon in all things. What an encouragement to each of us that in the midst of what may be crazy, turbulent times, one thing, one Person remains the same. He is God, our Rock.

I just want to encourage whoever may be reading to not give up. Look upon the trail behind you of every incident in which God came through for you. He has answered every prayer and heard every cry. Even if the trail behind you may be hard to see in the darkness of forgetfulness, there is one stone at the very beginning which shines brighter than all the rest -- that is the moment of your salvation, when Christ first walked into your life. From even before that day, He has walked beside you and performed wonders in your life. You are a miracle of His grace.

Keep leaving those stones of remembrance behind you. They are not only testimonies for those around you, but they will guide you back home. I imagine that on the day when we stand before the throne of God, when our past is playing before us, we will see a dazzling, macadam pathway tracing through our entire life reflecting His immaculate glory. He is with you always, dear one, even to the end of the age.

 

Morning by morning, I wake up to find

The power and comfort of God's hand in mine

Season by season, I watch Him amazed,

In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of, His hand will provide

He's always been faithful to me

**From the hymn "He's Always Been Faithful," as sung by Chelsea Moon