A family gratitude practice

In the Fresh Start journal, our 31-day devotional on prayer, I shared this:

That this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. -Joshua 4:6-8

I love the story of the Israelites getting 12 stones (representing the 12 tribes) and creating a memorial to remind them of how God answered them to cross to the other side. The concreteness of stone (figuratively AND literally in this case) is an image I love because it’s something you can hold on to and never forget.

I’d like to think I wouldn’t forget God doing some miracle in my life, but the truth is, I do.

Keeping a record of answered prayers serves as a physical reminder of a spiritual Father.

It gives us something to grasp on to when we have trouble understanding a faith we cannot see. When hardships come and we can’t fathom why God would have us experience such things, we can cling to these stones.

Simply remembering God’s miracles in our lives glorifies Him and makes my faith stronger. As I recognize His power all over again, I am blessed and God is glorified.

Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. – Psalm 102:18

The cool thing about answered prayers? We don’t have to be the only beneficiary of them. THey live on long after we do. It’s every believer’s desire that their children and future generations will come to know Jesus as Savior.

For anyone to embrace God, I think they must believe that God is very much at work in our day-to-day and that we are dependent on Him for our very lives.

A legacy of answered prayers gives proof to a God who loves us and actively plays a role in our daily lives.

This Thanksgiving, we’d love to come alongside you as you create that kind of legacy with your family.

In the free PDF that you can download below, you will find several boxes titled with different seasons in life or areas where God was at work to help you brainstorm past answered prayers. Spend some time filling these out together and celebrating what God has done!

Who knows? Hearts that might simply be curious about God might begin to believe that the God who worked so faithfully in their mom and granddad’s life is the same God who wants to work in theirs too.

Don’t let this idea get lost on you: seeing answered prayers in your life can change someone’s faith. That is no small matter. And perhaps something you are going through has nothing to do with you at all, but has everything to do with being used to help someone else who will one day face the same thing.

Sign up below and this free printable will be delivered to your inbox!