Joshua 4:4-7– Joshua directed them, “Cross to the middle of the Jordan and take your place in front of the chest of God, your God. Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder, a stone for each of the tribes of the People of Israel, so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, “What are these stones to you? You’ll say, “The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of God as it crossed the Jordan-stopped in its tracks. These stones are a permanent memorial for the People of Israel.” (MSG)
My new Bible had more bells and whistles than a streetcar! Teaching notes, maps, and diagrams added insight to the Word. The leather cover was fresh and clean. But I just didn’t feel at home in that book. I decided it must be the different wording in the text. I persevered, however, reading, underlining and scribbling my way through. Eventually, my study led me back to Psalm 64, the very place I had begun months before. Beside the first verse, I had written “This Word given to me while praying, February 25/91. The uncomfortable Bible was now an old friend, full of my personal memories of God’s faithfulness.
A seasoned Christian once chided me for not making notes in my Bible. “Always remember,” she said, “the Word is holy, but the book isn’t. Your Bible pages may be worn and tired after years of use, but the scribbles will be Stones of Remembrance and reminders of how God met you through all your life situations.”
Prayer: Thanks God, for giving us new memories of yourself. Amen.
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