Remembering to Remember

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.  He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendents ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed  the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over.  The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.  He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."  (Joshua 4: 20-24)

Yesterday in church, our pastor spoke about the meaning of Worship and the different ways we worship.  (http://www.newheights.cc/pages.asp?pageid=89495) He pointed to scripture for clues on all the types of worship, including prayer, singing, dancing, silence, exercise, work, study, and other areas.  He also pointed out the vast number of times that scripture uses the word "Remember."  Remembering what the Lord has done is another act of worship.

I have had conversations with friends over the years with all of us wondering how Israel couldn't just "get it" that the Lord is who he says he is.  God's people had witnessed miracles like the parting of the Red Sea and the provision of manna; how could they doubt his power? Why couldn't they trust him and obey?

Well, I could ask the same question of myself. How can I doubt God's power? His mercy? His provision? His goodness? How can I doubt when I've seen it? How can I let fears creep in when I know God is bigger than all my worries?

We often don't look at things with God's perspective; we look at what we can see right in front of our faces. And a lot of times that is scary!  We don't know how this episode of our lives will end, and we want to know now....so often we try to figure it out ourselves, in our own strength. And sometimes we fall flat on our faces. I hate that.

Remembering how the Lord has worked in our lives or in those around us is an act of worship; we acknowledge Him and praise Him for what He's done.  This aspect of worship can also strengthen our faith.

I want to make more time for remembering. I want to look back so that I'm stronger looking forward.  I want to think about the 12 stones and what I can tell my children when they ask about their meaning. 

What are ways we make time to remember?