Stacking Stones – Remembering God’s Faithfulness

In these uncertain times – it is good for us to remember God’s faithfulness in the past.  These are three examples from the Bible. After defeating the Philistines and ending the oppression of Israel –

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” – 1 Samuel 7:12

After 40 years in the desert and finally crossing the river they had refused to cross because of fear and lack of faith –

“And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: ‘Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe’, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’” – Joshua 4:1-3

Israel defeated Amalek –

“And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword….. And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” – Exodus 17:10-13, 15

In each of these stories, God showed His faithfulness to those He had called.  They marked the place and the time and remembered the Lord.  In the study, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby calls those “Spiritual Markers”.  We all have them. Times when God did something significant in our lives – live altering – when He revealed Himself to us.  I want to encourage you to reflect on those times in your life when God revealed Himself in a supernatural way.  I will share a few of ours as a “starter” for you.

September 1976: While at Fort Knox, Martie and I visited my parents, attended church with them, heard the Gospel and prayed to receive Christ. While we were at Ft. Knox we met three other Christian couples.  All three couples eventually left the Army for full time Christian service.  We spent the best part of the next 15 years moving and discipling adults wherever the Lord planted us.

February 1992: After Desert Storm in 1991, I returned to Ft. Rucker, AL. I had the distinct impression that I was to leave the Army. It was as if God was saying through His Spirit, that I was sacrificing my family for a career. Although I was very successful, by Army standards, our family was struggling.  We chose our family.  We decided that it would be best for our family if we left the military before retirement and started a new life in Alabama. 

September 1993: I attended a Promise Keeper Conference in Boulder Colorado which led to my eventually quitting my job as a government contractor and serving on staff with the Promise Keepers Ministry as the state manager for Alabama and Mississippi.  I served in that capacity for almost 2 years and then returned to contractor work. 

August 2005:  The Elders at Gateway Baptist church met (it was my first meeting as an Elder).  Hurricane Katrina had made landfall and we discussed how the church might respond.  Pastor Alan arranged for the Red Cross to conduct a training class on Thursday night and Friday morning, we headed for Mississippi.  On the way, our destination was changed from Pascagoula to Ocean Springs.  Our mission was changed from helping in a shelter to opening and running a shelter. 

After 2 weeks in Ocean Springs, Martie and I knew that the Lord wanted us to stay, we just did not know how or where.  A friend from Christian Appalachian Project who was providing volunteers in Ocean Springs told us about Waveland, Mississippi.  Our hearts resonated at the sound of the name of the City although we had never heard it before.  We just didn’t know how we would get there.  After 6 weeks in Ocean Springs, we knew that our time there was about to an end when Pastor Jay Wolf, from FBC Montgomery came to the shelter to talk to us about helping start a volunteer camp in Bay Saint Louis, right next to Waveland.

December 2005:  Martie and I both felt that the Lord was leading us to start a separate ministry for people who were falling through the cracks. In January 2006 met with 5 couples in Montgomery and shared our vision with them.  They all agreed that we should move forward and start the ministry.  We talked about what we should call it.  My mom told me that their ministry to teenagers in the 70’s was called Pathfinder and maybe we should call it that .. so we did.  In April 2006 we moved to Waveland and started Pathfinder Mission. 

February 2010: We sensed our time in Mississippi was over.  Several friends – who did not know each other – talked to use on different occasions about going to Haiti. A year later, we were living in Haiti building an orphanage.

August 2017: In the Sunday School class I was teaching, I was asked when we were going to Texas to help with the recovery from Hurricane Harvey,  I said, “We are not – we don’t chase storms, we follow God.” Not long after, Martie told me that she sensed that we were supposed to go. A month later, we were in Texas, and still are.

There are many more spiritual markers – God-events – if you will, that I could share. But I think you get the idea.  We are by no means super-saints.  We are just like you.  So I know that if you will think about it, you will recall times when God has revealed Himself to you – brought you to a place that required faith on your part that changed the course of your life. 

Remember and rejoice!

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone