God-Paved Memories

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled God Paved Memories, was written by So Chi Dixon. When my grown son faced a difficult situation, I reminded him about God's constant care and provision during his dad's year of unemployment. I recounted the times God strengthened our family and gave us peace while my mom fought and lost her battle with leukemia. Highlighting the stories of God's faithfulness stitched into scripture, I affirmed he was good at keeping his word. I led my son down our family's God-paved memory lane, reminding him about the ways he remained reliable through our valley and mountaintop moments. Whether we were struggling or celebrating, God's presence, love, and grace proved sufficient.

Although I'd like to claim this faith-strengthening strategy as my own, God designed the habit of sharing stories to inspire the future generation's belief in him. As the Israelites remembered all they'd seen God do in the past, he placed cobblestones of confidence down their divinely-paved memory lanes. The Israelites had witnessed God holding true to his promises as they followed him.

He'd always heard and answered their prayers. Rejoicing and reminiscing with the younger generations, the Israelites shared the holy words, breathed and preserved by the one true God. As we tell of our great God's majesty, mercy, and intimate love, our convictions and the faith of others can be strengthened by the confirmation of his enduring trustworthiness.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verses 3 through 10. You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor.

But all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today. See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations who will hear about all these decrees and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.

Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb when he said to me, Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children. Let's pray. Sovereign God, thank you for paving praise-inducing memory lanes and empowering us to walk with sure-footed faith that crosses generational lines. We can learn from faithful leaders in the past as you grow and weave the tapestry of our lives together from one generation to the next. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. His encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.