Altars to Remember

I stole a great quote from Rambling Heather on Twitter recently...we were discussing spiritual journaling, and she described it this way: "It's how I build my altars to remember."

I read a devotional recently on memory stones, like the ones Joshua placed in the Jordan where the  priests carrying the ark stood as Israel crossed over.  That's what spiritual journaling is to me - it's my memory stone.  It's where I can point and say, "This is what God has done."

I want to lay stones not just for me, but for my children, too.  Over and over in the first few chapters of Deuteronomy, God tells Israel not to forget, and not to let their children forget, what He has done.  My kids have to see and hear what God has done in my life, and remember what He has done in their lives.  We have to lay memory stones, altars to remember, for generations to come.

One memory stone for me came on a recent Sunday when a church member asked if she and a couple of other ladies could pray for me - they knew what a toll juggling this summer class and an almost full-time job was taking on me.  As she was praying, she started saying that God is going to use this for something so much bigger than just career advancement, that He is going to answer prayers prayed in the midnight hour. 

I started crying, because I know those prayers...I can get very specific.  Prayers for my sons, that they will have a faith like Daniel, that they will put Jesus first in everything all their lives.  Prayers for me and for ministry, that I will make a difference and leave a legacy for Christ.  Prayers for our family, for dreams that have been in my heart since childhood.  Those midnight prayers have been intense and tear-filled and desperate.  Most of all, they've been heard.  He is listening, and that prayer was confirmation for me.  God is going to do amazing things in this family, and my journal will hold the memory stones for what He has done.