Daily Devotional
"For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over."
Joshua 4:23
Joshua explicitly connects the Jordan crossing to the Red Sea crossing, reminding the people of God’s pattern of faithfulness. This wasn’t accidental – it was a deliberate strategy to combat forgetfulness. The greatest enemy of faith isn’t persecution or suffering – it’s simply forgetting how God has been faithful in the past.
Israel’s history is a repetitive cycle: they experience God’s faithfulness, they forget God’s faithfulness, they fall into fear and idolatry, God delivers them again. This pattern reveals how dangerous spiritual amnesia can be. When we forget God’s track record in our lives, we subject ourselves to unnecessary fear and anxiety.
Forgetfulness makes us interpret current challenges as evidence that God has abandoned us rather than seeing them as opportunities for God to show His faithfulness again. It causes us to respond to new difficulties with panic rather than with faith. It makes us doubt God’s character instead of trusting His consistency.
This is why memorials are so crucial. They’re not just nice traditions – they’re strategic weapons against the forgetfulness that threatens to undermine our faith. When we create intentional reminders of God’s faithfulness, we’re building fortifications against the doubt and fear that naturally arise when we face new challenges.
The antidote to fear isn’t hoping that life will get easier – it’s remembering that God has never failed to see you through before, and He won’t start now.
Today's Challenge
What patterns of forgetfulness do you notice in your own spiritual life? How has forgetting God's past faithfulness led to unnecessary fear or anxiety? What specific steps can you take to remember more intentionally?
Prayer
Father, forgive me for the times I've forgotten Your faithfulness and allowed fear to rule my heart. Help me to see the pattern of Your goodness throughout my life. Protect me from spiritual amnesia and give me creative ways to remember Your track record. When new challenges arise, remind me quickly of how You've delivered me before. In Jesus' name, Amen.
