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REMEMBER WHEN?
Joshua said to the people of Israel, “When
your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these
stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘ Israel
passed over this Jordan on dry ground. ‘For the Lord your God dried
up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord
your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up for us until we passed
over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the
Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua
4:21-24
“Remember.” It is the most often repeated command in the Old Testament. Maybe that’s because the #1 mistake parents made in the Old Testament was not passing along their faith to their kids. When the children weren’t told of His miraculous works, they lost their wonder for God. That’s what we’re discovering in the series, “Famous First Families” on the air this week. Among the worst of these ‘silent’ parents were the ones rescued out of Egypt. These people had seen a lot: The ten plagues. The release of two million slaves. The parting of the Red Sea. The fire by night and the cloud by day as their guide. Manna from heaven. Wouldn’t you think the family dinner times would be filled with stories that began “remember the time when God…”? Why did the miracles slide like tephlon from their memories? Psalm 78 recounts their lack of faith in one long frustrating list. “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power or the day when He redeemed them from the foe.” Verse 32 sums it up, “despite His wonders, they did not believe.” There’s the problem, right there. They didn’t remember God’s faithfulness because they didn’t trust Him. Yet someone turned the trend. After that entire, forgetful, unbelieving generation had dropped dead in the wilderness, a new generation stood on the riverbank that bordered the promised land. Once again, God parted the waters and provided a miraculous crossing, yet this time, the new generation made a plan to remember. They believed God. Read Joshua 4:21-24 to get the story. Now, God hasn’t led us by fire or fed us with mystery bread, but He’s done some amazing things for you and me, beginning with our great salvation. Don’t forget these miracles. More importantly, tell your stories to the next generation so they’ll know how faithful God is and that He can be trusted. Remember God’s faithfulness so your faithfulness will endure. |


