In response to this miracle, Joshua commanded the Israelites to create a monument to the Lord.
Joshua 4: 4-7
So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.
Have you created your monument to the Lord?
I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying to yourself, “Really, Lori? Like I really have time to create a monument to the Lord.” I know it sounds a little silly, but actually, it doesn’t have to be something extraordinary. Maybe just a little tribute in a prominent place which, in the midst of the chaos of this sinful world, speaks to your heart about the Lord’s love for you.
Gloria and Phil Meyers actually helped me create my monument to the Lord. About a year after my divorce, I joked during our Bible study that I was still sitting on my beach chairs because I had given up my living room furniture before moving down to the Lehigh Valley to be with my now ex-husband. As I was putting my son through college at the time, I couldn’t afford to purchase a new sofa. So, my beach chairs became my living room furniture.
Just a few days after making the joke, I got an email from Phil and Gloria about a sofa that they had found on College Hill. The sofa was owned by a family who had just ordered new furniture and was gradually getting rid of their old. The Meyers picked up the sofa and, during a conversation with the man, found out that he would also be getting rid of a matching chair when the family’s new furniture arrived. Phil left his phone number with the gentleman, who promised to call him when the chair was available. Today, the sofa, chair, and a matching ottoman form my living room. Together, they serve as a constant reminder of God’s love for me and His sovereignty over this world and call me to be forever grateful to Him and worship Him.
As I look at my Monument to the Lord, I am reminded of some important truths.
Truth One: God Will Provide in Unexpected Ways
We read of God’s provision throughout the Bible. While I am confident that the Lord will provide and have in fact seen His provision throughout my life, I never really expected God to take care of a need quite so inconsequential as providing me a sofa during a dark time. But He did. And, maybe it wasn’t just a sofa that He was providing but quite possibly He was also creating a home for me. You see, I was pretty sad about the fact that I was living in a place that I didn’t own. A prideful woman, I thought renting spoke to my inability to take care of myself. So God chose to bless me in a way that not only gave me a place to lounge and entertain friends, but He also transitioned a rented townhouse into a home for a prideful me.
Truth Two: God is Sovereign and His Provision is Perfect
Aside from the amazingly good condition of this used furniture, I found irony in the fact that it perfectly matched rugs that I had purchased two years previously as I worked to consolidate my ex-husband’s belongings and mine after selling my house to move down here. At the time, I was looking for a pretty little touch for the hallway inside the front door and the kitchen. When I left, I gave him the rugs that I purchased for the kitchen but took the rugs that I had purchased for the hallway, as he loved the kitchen rugs but was never too fond of the hallway rugs.
Now, as I see how closely they match this furniture that I was given years later, I am reminded of God’s perfect provision and his sovereignty. Yes, He knew that I would one day be alone, and He motivated me to select these rugs because He knew the furniture that would one day be mine. He is not at all surprised by the pain of this world, and He provides perfectly.
Truth Three: God’s Timing is Perfect
After giving me the sofa, Phil kept hoping that he would hear from the gentleman about the matching chair. But the gentleman never called.
Finally, one weekend after church, Phil and Gloria saw the chair sitting on College Hill. Phil spoke with the gentleman, who had unfortunately lost the Meyers’ phone number, and found out that there was also a matching ottoman if I wanted it. So, Phil called me to find out if I would want the additional piece of furniture. His call reached me when I was a little more than an hour from home. That day, I was driving home following my mother’s funeral. The Meyers didn’t know that, but God did. I think they always questioned why it was taking so long to get the chair. But now we know that God was delaying the present until it could offer me comfort during yet another difficult time. When I came home that day, the chair and ottoman sat in front of my apartment, along with a beautiful sympathy card from the Meyers, who had plans that afternoon and couldn’t stay to help me move them in. And one of the neighbors just happened to be outside playing with his son and helped me put the chair in my living room.
Sometimes in the chaos of our days, a monument on our desktop at work or in a prominent area of our home will remind us of God’s sovereignty over the mess, His abundant love for us, and His perfect provision and timing. I am so grateful to the Meyers for being the conduit of God’s tender mercy and for helping me to create what forever will be my monument to the Lord.
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