Rock Stacking

I keep a journal. I never did growing up. I always thought that journaling and diaries was something girls did, well...and Doogie Howser (those old enough will remember that show). But when I became a Christian, I found myself constantly writing stuff down. I would write down how I felt about a particular passage in the bible, my prayer concerns, my struggles, and the ways that I felt God has used me that particular day. When I get overwhelmed, I often find myself flipping through the pages of my journals, reading over passages, drawing encouragement from the past faithfulness of God. Inside of me something says, "Hey look what God did back then...Remember, God will do it again."

There is no novelty in this of course. In fact I was inspired to really be serious about journal keeping by reading through the journal entries of others like John Wesley and Mother Theresa. I heard of a Pastor's wife that had an entire closet full of journals that she has used to trace her journey with God.

But even beyond these inspiring folks...it goes back even further, back to the people of Ancient Israel. See, they had a different way of journaling. When God would breathe forth the power of His Spirit into their lives and bring deliverance, liberation, victory, or provision, the people in the camp would stack up some rocks and build an altar to the Lord. Often it will say in the Scriptures, "And those rocks still stand there today." Granted it is a bit more industrious way of keeping a journal than the 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper I use, but what a testimony of the need to remember the works God has accomplished in their lives. When they would pass by those places, the elders could point to the rocks and say to the youth of the camp, "Those rocks stand there as a witness to the way God breathed into our lives and showed his faithfulness." In fact the story of the Hebrew Bible is filled with stories of rock stacking.

Rock stacking is a necessary practice in the life of a Christian. It is nothing less than the consistent practice of reflecting on the goodness of God and God's faithfulness in the stories of our lives. It is the encouragement of knowing that the God at work back then is the same God that is at work now. It is the memory that proclaims, "I know things seem big and out of control now...but remember God has always been involved in those overwhelming situations." Whether you keep a journal or not, the question is the same...

What do the pages of your story declare about the faithfulness of God's breath in your life?