“Do not forget the things your eyes have seen” Deuteronomy 4:9

One of the best parts about living in a new place is exploring. On one of my adventures I ran across a beautiful decoration for my yard. It was heart shape and made up of stones stacked upon each other.

It reminded me of the memorials that the Israelites made to remember all God had done for them in that place.

Moving was hard. I’m not sure I could have done it, except God gave us so many signs. From four weeks of sermons that we felt were specifically for us, to crosses seen more times than I could count as we drove across the states, God revealed his presence. He is so faithful.

Many times in the Bible the Israelites stopped and remembered what their God had done for them.  One example is when Jacob set a memorial where God came to him in a dream and gave him a promise of blessing (Genesis 28:10-22). At another time, Samuel memorialized the place where God provided victory from the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:12)  The Israelites would stack rocks as a memorial of God’s love and miraculous assistance, and proclaimation of his goodness to future generations.  

God also commanded the Israelites to celebrate seven annual feasts (Leviticus 23).  These included passover, the feast of unleavened bread, first fruits, harvest, trumpets, day of atonement and feast of tabernacles. (A concise overview of the seven feasts of Israel) 

The Israelites had a tendency to forget God’s miracles in their lives, and turn to other gods, so he gave detailed and specific instructions of how to remember his faithfulness.

What a great habit for us to follow. Often times, we look back to our pasts for the things that are painful, mistakes that we made, and things we wish would have turned out different.  But, what if we counted our blessings and His faithfulness instead?

There are so many times where if we aren’t paying attention we can mistake circumstances as mere coincidence. However; God is present, orchestrating our way through difficult times. It is in these times that God grows us closer in our walk with him.

By recalling what God has done for us, faith is restored, joy is uncovered and our hearts turn from despair to praise. (The wall of answered prayers). 

Today, let’s take a moment to remember His faithfulness.  Journal a list, grab some stones, plant a tree…Stop and remember, celebrate, and thank him for all he has done. Do something to remember his goodness and celebrate the blessings we have in Christ.