February 18, 2022 — Markers

We were waiting for Ricky to bring our breakfast.  “Stan,” I asked, “with your journaling of prayers, devotions, and the like, do you ever go back and read what you have written?”

Rather than answering my question, he said, “Why do you ask that?”

“Just curious as to whether you go back and check to see where you were at a certain point, what you were praying about, whether prayers were answered, and that sort of thing.”

“What you ask about,” Stan replied “is an essential part of the journaling time I spend with God each day.”

Continuing, he added, “When I’m done writing what God has for me each morning, I then go back and read through what I wrote a year ago. It’s a very enlightening part of my journaling. I call it ‘Checking the markers’.”

“Why do you call it that?” I asked.

“I view each day’s journaling as setting down a marker for a particular point in my life, especially where I am in my relationship with God. Is that relationship deepening, getting more shallow, or something else? What was I praying about at that point in my life? How were the prayers answered? How was I following the Lord’s leading? All of those sorts of things.”

“I can imagine that sort of looking back at what you call ‘markers’ could be very helpful,” I commented. “What a great idea!”

“Wasn’t mine,” Stan replied. “I got it from the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.”

I was curious, so I asked him, “What was going on that long ago in the Bible that could have any application to your life and faith walk today?”

“It had to do with when Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land,” Stan said, “and God gave Joshua instructions to have a man from each tribe pick up a stone from the river to be used later to build a memorial that marked the place where the people crossed the river on dry ground.”

“A memorial?” I said. “Like so the people would remember what God had done?”

“Exactly,” Stan replied. “And that’s why I go back in my journal to see what God has done, how He has led, and whether or not I have followed.”

“So you check the markers to see where you’ve been?” I asked.

“Where I’ve been,” Stan replied, “where I have come from, where I am now, and, just possibly, where God wants me to go from here!”

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Bible verses to consider:

And those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.  And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘what are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’  “For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:20-24.

Prayer:  Thank you, Father, that you lead and guide me in response to my prayers.  And thank you that you want me to remember all you have done so I will draw continually closer to you.  Please, Father, help me in making markers so I remember all you have for me to remember in the process of knowing you.  Help me to make markers and to refer to those markers so I do remember.  Thank you I can and do bring all of these prayers before you in the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Think on this: Do you have markers for your faith? If no, is that because you have not come to faith? If that’s that case, why? What’s holding you back? If you do have the assurance of salvation and redemption, that you know you are going to spend eternity in God’s presence, how are you doing with markers to remember where you were and where you are going with your faith walk? Do you think it’s important to have such markers? Why or why not? If you do think they are important and haven’t yet started keeping track of them, how are you going to get started with that, as well as keep it going?