12 Stones

My brother: Uber cool, pretty artsy, a great dad, husband, friend, and a devoted follower of Jesus. He is a published author and records many of his writings in journals. We were laughing about an old journal entry the other day. He sent me this pic of all his journals over the years.

He is reviewing these old journals so he doesn’t forget all that God has done. His journals include words and lots of art. He has painted a lot of his covers. The journal on the far left was used during a mission to Tailand. A tai friend wrote his name on the cover. I told you he was uber cool.

When we were little, we were constantly at odds. I was the meanest big sister ever. Now I find that God has us on very similar paths in our faith journey. Journaling has shaped my life too and reading through my old journals has helped me remember God’s faithfulness to me!

I never knew how much scripture had to say about the importance of recording and remembering all of God’s works until recently:

Jeremiah 30:20 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.”

Exodus 17:14 “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder.”

Deut 32:46-47  “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. These instructions are not empty words—they are your life!”

In Joshua 3, God parts the Jordan River for the Israelites in response to their pleas for deliverance. After this miracle, in Joshua 4, God commands Joshua to gather 12 stones from the river bed and make a memorial. This was to serve as a sign of God’s miracle, to help them remember what God had done when they cried out to him. Joshua listened and heard God’s voice. God commanded him to make note of His miracle, so His people would not forget His faithfulness.

Journal entries can be our 12 stones – a reminder and a sign that God has heard and answered our prayers and thoughts. He sees us and knows us and responds to us!

I want to encourage you to listen to the Holy Spirit, record all the good words he’s speaking to you and review his promises!

I have created a journal just for this.  You can check out the Words Journal at http://www.etsy.com/shop/wordsjournal or email me at wordsjournal429@gmail.com.

Happy Writing!

Kimberly McLeod