A Spiritual Memorial Day



By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

Joshua 4 (NIV)

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Our national freedom has come at great expense, as so many have offered their very lives, so that we could be free. For this sacrifice — which continues every day — we must pause and remember.

Memorial Day is a reminder to us of the price paid for our freedom. But without purposeful effort, this holiday can become no more than a day off to spend in the sun with our friends and family.

Memorials by themselves are not enough. You have to teach their meaning to the next generation. Without the lessons tied to the memorials, they become no more than a decoration woven into the landscape.

The tradition of setting up memorials has been going on for centuries — the pyramids of Egypt were memorials, as were Joshua's stones of remembrance, and our granite Vietnam War memorial. We build monuments to remember people and deeds that should never be forgotten.

But where are the memorials to the magnificence and the goodness of God? How do we make a monument to His grace in our lives?

As a reminder of His goodness to Israel, God asked Joshua to do two things. The first was to establish a memorial of stones, and the second was to proclaim the truth about these memorials to the next generation.

This particular generation was finally experiencing what their ancestors had experienced. They had heard about God parting the Red Sea, and they were told of how their parents and their grandparents forgot God's grace. The doubts and the grumblings from these people had led to many years of wandering, but with Joshua, the time had come to move on. Joshua's generation was now experiencing the supernatural intervention of God for themselves.

That is why God wanted them to have a visible reminder of His deliverance. He did not want them to forget, nor did He want their children or their children's children to forget.

God asked for twelve men representing each of the tribes of Israel to go into the riverbed and to bring out twelve large stones and pile them one on top of the other. But more than that, He instructed them to tell the story of the stones and their significance.

What monuments have you built in remembrance to God?

• What dates have you recorded to remember God's hand in your life?
• What answers to prayer can you be thankful for even today?
• What memories of God's faithfulness have you described to your children or grandchildren?
• Do you take them to the places where God has met with you in the past?

The gift of salvation and deliverance in your life must never be lost on future generations. Generations yet unborn must be able to look at your remembrances and know that there is a God who is mighty to save. Future generations must hear the testimony of the greatness of our God.

This Memorial Day, by all means tell your children about those who have paid the cost for our freedom. But also take them to the place of prayer where you meet God on a regular basis.

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