Rocks in my head-It’s a good thing!

Rocks in my Head – It’s a Good Thing!

Ever read the Old Testament? Laws, judgements, sacrifices…Israelites? I don’t know about you, but those Israelites really BUG me! I mean, let’s just take a look at a few things God did for them:

● God sent the 10 plagues to Egypt to eventually urge Pharoah to let the captive Israelites go.

● God gave them the 10 commandments on Mt. Sinai.

● God parted the Red Sea so they could walk across on dry land.

● God parted the Jordan River so they could walk across on dry land.

● God defeated the city of Jericho so the Israelites could enter the Promised Land.

● God gave them victory against Ai in Canaan.

You get it, right? God was THERE for them in mighty and miraculous ways! He showed Himself true to them time after time after time. So you can imagine how they responded. They were loyal and gave Him all the credit for everything good that happened in their lives. They served Him daily, without fail, and never left their faith. And they most certainly never complained.

Screeeeech…let’s hit the brakes on that! Here is a small taste of what REALLY happened.

● After being led through the Red Sea, Exodus 16:2 says, “…the whole congregation of the sons of Israel

grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.”

● While Moses was on Mt. Sinai, Exodus 32:1 says “…the people assembled around Aaron, and said to

him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from

the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’” And Aaron DID make them a golden calf!

● After defeating Ai, Exodus 9:14 says “…the men of Israel…did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.”

It honestly just makes me shake my head. I can’t believe they acted that way! How could they see those miraculous acts God did, and still choose to follow their own desires? How could they doubt Him? How could they go their own way, and think He wouldn’t care about them or…

Wait. Did you just see that arrow pierce my heart? Oh. My. Goodness. I do the very same thing. I often (dare I say, daily) see God’s mighty hand at work in my life, and His constant care and love. But it is so easy for me to be just like the Israelites. I grumble against Him. I turn to other gods. I forge ahead without asking for the counsel of the Lord.

Why, friends? Why do I do this? Does it come as a surprise to God, my Father? I think I might know part of the answer.

In Joshua chapter 4, after God dried up the Jordan River so the Israelites could cross, God asks them to do something interesting. Verse 3 says, “Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan…and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.” Then in verses 6 and 7, “Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off’… So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.’”

The answer is, I forget. My dear friends, we all have God Stories. Times when God proved Himself real in undeniable ways. Those are our Memorial Stones! That is what God wants us to remember in the tough times. Spend some time thinking about yours. Meditate on them – thank God for the way He has shown Himself in your life!

Maybe it is a certain verse that hit you at just the right time, and spoke to the exact situation you were in. Write that verse down and put it on your mirror. Make it the background on your phone. Write in on a literal rock and set it in your garden or on your desk. Give a concerted effort to remember those times.

Set up Memorial Stones in your mind. 1 Samuel 12:24 says “Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”

Fill your head with rocks. Kinda funny! God wants us to have rocks in our heads! Now don’t take that to mean that we are supposed to be hard-headed! Nope.

And I also don’t think it comes as a surprise to God. He always welcomed those Israelites when they eventually turned back to Him. Here’s one example: Jeremiah 31:3,4 says, “Some time ago, the Lord appeared to me and told me to say: ‘Israel, I will always love you; that’s why I’ve been so patient and kind. You are precious to me, and so I will rebuild your nation.’”

He will do the same for us. Take a deep breath and rest in that knowledge. Ahhhhhh.

And the next time those Israelites make us shake our heads, hopefully we will hear our rocks rolling around, and they will remind us to turn back to His welcoming arms.