09/13/2026
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
SUNDAY, September 13, 2026
ISRAEL REMEMBERS GOD’S DEEDS
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Lord direct Joshua
Joshua 4:14-18
QUESTIONS:
1. What is significant about God‘s exaltation of Joshua before our Israel?
2. What are some of the ways that the text emphasizes that this is a miracle?
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TWELVE MEMORIAL STONES
JOSHUA4:19-24
Questions:
1. Why is the timing of the Jordan Crossing significant?
2. What was the purpose of the 12 stones in Gilgal?
3. What were the two reasons God performed the miracle at the Jordan?
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Remembering God's Faithfulness
For decades, my dad has kept a prayer journal. But after writing his requests, he always leaves some space. When God answers those prayers, my dad flips back in his journal to his request, and in that blank space writes every detail of how and when God answered it.
And wow, does he remember God's faithfulness! He recalls distant memories of what God has done in his life and in the lives of others.
He connects the dots to find answered prayers in unexpected places.
But as someone who doesn't keep a journal, I struggle to recall all of the goodness God has shown me. Even my most difficult struggles can, over time, fade from memory. How easy it is to forget what God has done! If Israel needed a monument of stones to remember the Jordan drying up, how much more do we need reminders of God's work, both large and small?
The twelve stones at Gilgal served as a memorial, reminding future generations of God's faithfulness. This theme of remembrance carries into the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews encourages believers to remember when God had sustained them through hard-ship, so that they would persevere in the present (see Heb. 10:32-36).
Peter reminded believers of their calling and election so that they would "always be able to remember," even after his death (2 Peter 1:12-15). Remembering is key to perseverance.
As believers under the new covenant, we, too, need to remember God's saving acts. When we participate in the Lord's Supper, we do so in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice. But that's only one example of remembrance. Whether through the formality of a prayer journal or through ordinary items (a sticky note with a verse, a favorite piece of artwork, a picture), we should always find ways to remind ourselves and others of God's faithfulness.
Questions:
1. Why do you think God wants his people to remember his saving works?
2. What memorial practices do we have today?
3. How can we encourage one another to remember God‘s faithfulness?
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Stones of Remembrance
When in your life did God come through in a powerful way? Sometime this week, write down a prominent moment of God's faithfulness in a location where you can access it in the future (perhaps a journal). This will serve as a "stone of remembrance," helping you to trust the goodness of God in a time of uncertainty to come.
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KEY VERSE
JOSHUA 4:21-22
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