Tell your children about it in the years to come,
and let your children tell their children.
Pass the story down from generation to generation.
Joel 1:3 (NLT)
Series: The Breadcrumb Trail
Some of my fondest childhood memories spring from our large, extended-family gatherings. My grandparents and their siblings sat around the patio or in a crowded basement family room and tossed memories back and forth. Laughter, joy, compassion, and connection filled the atmosphere.
The younger generations sat on laps, hid under the card tables, or tossed frisbees in the yard and caught glimpses of the days gone by. If listening well, we understood the experiences and truths of love that had bound our great family together.
The art of story-telling has subsided in the busy-ness of our modern lives. Even in our gatherings, the conversation sometimes seems rushed or strained as we each try to fit everything in. Memories of old are lost and the miracles that carried the generations before us are forgotten.
Throughout this series, “The Breadcrumb Trail,” we have shared stories and experiences that revealed the goodness, faithfulness, and power of God in our personal lives. From deliverance of people-pleasing to miracles of healing, to people coming alongside us to encourage us in our journeys, we have recalled how God’s mighty hand has been with us every step of the way.
A portion of scripture that spurred this series comes from Joshua 4:19-24 (HCSB). This passage says:
The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”
Joshua set up the 12 stones from the Jordan as a memorial so that everyone would know of God’s miraculous power and love. These stones reminded all who saw them that God was with them and for them. However, just seeing the stones would have no meaning. As God instructed, the story must be told.
Recognizing the importance of telling the mighty works of God from one to another, Paul wrote in Romans 10:14-15a (NLT):
How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
People may not know who God is, the magnitude of His power, and the steadfastness of His character unless they hear about Him. Yet, Jesus told the Pharisees, as recorded in Luke 19:40, that even if the people were silent the very stones would cry out.
Wouldn’t that be something!? Can you imagine those 12 stones from the Jordan riverbed crying out to praise God for His goodness and wonderful works? Yet, as believers, we ARE the living stones, created and built up together to declare the praises of God. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:4-5 (HCSB):
Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God—you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Similar to the 12 stones of remembrance in the Jordan, God has set us in place to tell the story of His redemptive work in our lives. When was the last time you sat down with a friend or loved one and expressed the awe you have in our good God? What outstanding things has God done for you that you can share with someone else? Don’t wait for the rocks to cry out.
Just as a breadcrumb trail would help lead one back home, remember the good things the Lord has done for you, your family, and your loved ones. Tell your stories of His mighty acts to the next generation and drop a few breadcrumbs as you travel this lifetime together.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Joel 1:3; Joshua 4; Romans 10:14-15; Luke 19:37-40; 1 Peter 2:4-5
