There are several instances in the bible where the children of Israel, or a person set up a memorial stone. The purpose was so they would remember the great things God had done in that particular place.
The stones were not for the Lord’s benefit, but for THEIR benefit. So that in the day the enemy comes with some other drama, they would remember that victory and use that as a point of reference for faith, and a firm assurance that the God who was able to deliver them from the enemy or from a circumstance in the past, the God who provided for them miraculously in the past, is stilll the same God. Alive and well through all eternity. And more than able to yet save and help them in the present trouble.
Believers typically take these things for granted. But we MUST deliberately set up memorial stones in our hearts, in our journals perhaps as well, but most especially in our hearts.
Forgetting God’s past kindness and favour in the face of present drama, is one of the major things which exasperated and angered the Almighty the most in the bible. Psalm 78 makes this clear. It’s a long, very detailed chapter, well-worth reading carefully. In it we see God’s exasperation and annoyance. If I could split the Red Sea open for you, literally, how can you be so unbelieving as to think I would starve you? Of ordinary bread? The Lord was quite annoyed.
Verse 40-43 records;
“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!
Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
When He worked His signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoan;…..”
The primary problem here, was their inability to remember His past faithfulness, and take comfort in the fact that the God who did such glorious things for them in the past, was well and able to do more.
King Asa made the same mistake. In 2 Chronicles 14. This was in the days when Israel was split into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel. Judah was much smaller, only two tribes. The Ethiopians came against Judah with an army of one million men plus three hundred chariots. In contrast Asa had only three hundred thousand men. Picture it; 1,000,000 against 300,000. He cried out to God!! And God delivered Judah so much so; that the Bible records that “the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army.”
It was a spectacular deliverance to say the least.
But in chapter 16 of 2 chronicles, another king came up against Asa. And even on a much smaller scale than the Ethiopians. This time, instead of Asa to remember the Lord’s previous help and use that as a faith reference and assurance AGAIN in asking God for help, he had forgotten. So instead of going to God for help, he went to man. He tried to buy alliance from another king, a heathen king, and of all things; he tried to pay for that alliance with gold and silver from the temple treasury! (2Chron 16: 1-9).
It is imperative that we must constantly maintain a heart of thanksgiving. Will there be occurrences in which our hearts might want to fail? Yes.
However, we must trust the One who said He will never leave us nor forsake us. We must remember the past victories He has won for us in the past. His kindness in times past, His provision, His comfort. When in turmoil and the way forward looks hazy, then its time to whip out the memorials and thank Him and rejoice, and ask Him for help. In the full assurance and faith that so long as He has not, and can never abdicate His throne, He will come through for you no matter what circumstances look like.
Let us rest our hearts in the assurance that indeed, all things truly work together for us who love Him.
Determine to cultivate an internal culture of thanksgiving, for things past, and things future.
Its extremely important!
As the year winds down rapidly over the next 48 hours, do not fall into the trap of looking only at all the things that seem outstanding problems or the difficulties you thought you would have gotten over by now, or the things which didn’t happen. Many fall prey to the spirit of heaviness or depression at this time, as they see another year ended without solutions in certain areas, or with some problems still in place. Do NOT fall into that mess.
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! Give thanks, from the depths of your hearts. Whip out your memorials, your journals, remember the great things He did for you in the past. There are also many, many references of instances you can use in the bible as thanksgiving points!
And rejoice in the assurance that
if He could do x, y, z,
If He loved you enough to die for you and says He will never leave you nor forsake you,
If by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
And if He has not and cannot abdicate His throne,
Then you have no problems!!
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!
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