“Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.” (1 Chronicles 16:12)
This verse reminds me of rock cairns—those small stacks of stones that hikers, and sometimes even park rangers, leave along a difficult or unclear trail to mark the way. Each one says, in effect, Someone has been this way. This is the path. Keep going.
God’s past faithfulness can serve us in much the same way. When the road ahead becomes unfamiliar, remembering His “marvellous works” gives us markers to look back on. We can say, He provided there. He carried me through that. He answered me here. He corrected my course there. He did not fail me then.
I think there is a reason God so often tells His people to remember. We are surprisingly forgetful when we become frightened. One difficult stretch of road can make yesterday’s deliverance seem very far away. The problem immediately in front of us becomes enormous, while everything God has already done quietly slips into the background.
That is when it helps to look back at the stones.
Not because God will necessarily lead us through the next difficulty in exactly the same way He led us through the last one. A cairn does not tell a traveler what is around the next bend. It simply confirms that there is still a path worth following.
And perhaps that is one of the gifts of remembering. I do not have to know what is around the bend to remember Who has brought me this far.
Remembering is not simply looking backward with gratitude; it gives us courage to keep walking forward. Yesterday’s evidence of God’s faithfulness becomes something sturdy enough to lean tomorrow’s uncertainty against.
Sometimes faith looks forward.
Sometimes faith looks back at the stones—and keeps walking.
(Just a little trail etiquette note: While established cairns have long been used as trail markers, please leave the stones where you find them. In many parks and protected areas, building new cairns or altering existing ones is discouraged or prohibited because it can disturb the natural environment and confuse established trail markers.)
If this Fireside Chat warmed your spirit and sparked fresh resolve to live what you believe, fan that flame with Scripture—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Pull a little closer to the Light, and carry it into the week ahead.
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