Joshua 4 | Remember, Remind, Rely & Reach

As we step into a new year, it’s good—and necessary—to pause.

In Joshua 4, God commands Israel to stop long enough to remember what He has done. After the Lord miraculously brought them across the Jordan River, He instructed twelve men to take twelve stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial. Those stones weren’t decorative. They were deliberate. They were meant to tell a story.

“That this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall answer them…” (Joshua 4:6–7)

God knows how quickly we forget. He knows how easily yesterday’s miracle can become today’s memory and tomorrow’s doubt. So He tells His people to remember—to mark the moments where only His hand could have made a way.

As a church, we have much to remember. We remember God’s provision, His protection, His faithfulness, and His work among us. Every step forward has been by His grace, not our strength.

But Joshua 4 reminds us that remembrance is never meant to stay private. The stones were also there to remind the next generation. God’s works were to be spoken, explained, and passed on. Faith is not inherited by accident—it is taught on purpose.

“…that the generation to come might know them…” (Psalm 78:6)

And then Joshua lifts our eyes even higher. The miracle of the Jordan was not just for Israel’s benefit—it was for God’s glory among the nations.

“…that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty.” (Joshua 4:24)

That means as we move into a new year, we don’t rely on past success—we rely on the same God who brought us this far. And we don’t stop at gratitude—we reach, so others may know the Lord who makes a way where there seems to be none.

The stones at Gilgal were not the end of the journey. They were the foundation for what came next.

So as we look ahead, may we be a people who:

    •    Remember what God has done

    •    Remind the next generation who He is

    •    Rely on His mighty hand

    •    Reach our community with His gospel

The same God who carried His people through the Jordan is still leading His church forward today.

And we step into this year trusting Him completely.