http://sites.radiantwebtools.com/index.cfm?i=11061&mid=25&blogid=14512 Marking Milestones Joshua 4:1-9; 20-24 Have you noticed how many festivals and special days are noted in the Old Testament? There's a heap! And all these special days were instituted to commemorate something — be it a time of rest and worship, a time of repentance, a week of thanksgiving and celebration, a season of reflection, a time to remember the works and ways of the Lord (past or present), or a coming together to wait upon and worship before the Lord for something in the future. One story I reflect upon on occasion is found in Joshua chapter 4, where the Lord led the people of Israel across the impossible-to-pass-over Jordan River with Joshua at the helm. To make it even clearer how impossible it was, chapter 3 tells us that due to the time of year, the river was flooding. Impossible! But not for God! After the crossing, God told Joshua to do something unique. He instructed one man from each tribe to: '…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.' So the men placed the stones where their feet had crossed. Why? Well, he goes on to say: 'In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, 'What are these stones doing here?' tell your children this: 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.' Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan's waters for you until you had crossed, just as God…did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord's hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.' There is something special about celebrating milestones, marking occasions. Why? Well, God knows that sometimes we need a good reminder about Who He is and what He's done that we might otherwise take for granted. He also knows that those reminders serve as a good boost to our courage when Radiant WebTools