Remembrance...God's way!
Just thought I’d share with you my ‘Day 2’ scribbles in my new journal. I posted yesterday about this new "Journal Kit" gift that I received and my decision to put it into use.
Today I continued reading in Joshua, from the Old Testament in the Bible. Can you tell by my doodles what passages I was reading?
The tall cylinder-like thing on the left is a stone carin-type structure! Did you recognize it?
The passages in Joshua 4 relate events as the nation of Israel, under Joshua’s direction, crossed the Jordan river into the Promised Land (to the west side of the Jordan river). In this narrative, God directed Joshua to build a memorial or remembrance monument to commemorate the crossing into the new Promised Land! Joshua was instructed to take 12 leaders from the 12 families of the descendants of Abraham and each was to select a stone from the dry bed of the river and carry that stone across the riverbed into the new land. The stones must have been quite large, as the men were told specifically to carry the stones upon their shoulders! You can read the story in full at biblegateway.com.
Upon arriving "home" in the Promised Land, Joshua built a large tower/monument in the area of Gilgal and explained to the people of Israel, the tower’s significance. *Note on the map link the proximity of Gilgal to Jericho...that amazing story follows in the book of Joshua! God wanted this monument erected so that all future generations would know of and remember the great miracle the God provided so that the people could safely cross into the land that He had promised to them!
Go ahead and read the entire account in the fourth chapter of Joshua. It’s fascinating reading for me…not only because it’s historical information that I love, but because from it, (and any of God’s word) the Holy Spirit teaches us! It would be interesting to share what words, from that same passage, the Holy Spirit impressed on your heart.
Like I wrote yesterday, I’m NOT an artist and struggle to turn my thoughts into recognizable forms! However, this journal is for my personal benefit, and in my mind, I conveyed the concept! Let me encourage you once again, if you enjoy this type of ‘art’, to begin a journal of God’s Word as He speaks to you.
Another suggestion is to utilize this same practice, of establishing a monument/marker, if and when God so moves you, to commemorate a time when God spoke to you (or speaks in the future) and directed you to a profound action or response. Markers such as this can be a great tool to bring to your mind the faithfulness and goodness of God in your life! The markers may also spark questions from those who see it and ask about it's significance! What a great opportunity to “Speak Jesus”! Happy rock hunting!