Journey

Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei. The Lord said to me, "Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land...So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors.
        Deut 3:1-3

What a strange verse to write about on a Monday morning! Not really, it's actually perfect for the mental side trip I've taken these past weeks. God put a task on my heart a few weeks ago. I felt compelled to read through my journals - all of them. I started journaling in 1994 but, I didn't write daily until 2000, so there's a lot to read.

                            Let me just say: Wow!

What God's done in my life has far exceeded my imagination. Honestly, most of it I'd forgotten, and when I started reading, I had pages (thousands of them) of prayers He'd answered, details He'd taken care of and records of miracles He'd done in my life and the lives of my friends.

       But I'd forgotten.

Thank God, I'd written it down! Thank God, I have something to go back to and look at for the sake of remembering. Just like I have old photo albums that I like to reminisce over, my journals provide details about my spiritual life. They're a record of my struggles, failures and victories... and God's direction.

The above verse from Deuteronomy, is the same thing. Moses, took the time to write about the journey of the Israelites as God led them to the promised land. He wrote out God's instructions and about the failures and victories they had along the way. Most importantly, that record was to be passed down and shared with the future generations.

      How about you? Are you journaling your journey?

I know I've posted about this before and if you do journal, keep it up. You'll have nothing more precious in those low times and seasons of forgetfulness. If not, I urge you to begin this practice for the sake of yourself and family. When we can look back and remember the times God's been there for us, we're better able to comfort and encourage others when they go through difficult times.

                      God is faithful and wonderful!