These last few weeks have been incredibly rough on our family due to much travel little sleep and not enough time spent with the Lord. As a result, nerves are frayed, speech is ungracious and there is a general distemper in all of our interaction. This certainly is not what we want our family to be like, but it is so easy to get sidetracked from the Truth.

The ease of forgetting Truth is why God makes it such a point for His people to constantly remember His faithfulness. If you look in the Old Testament, God uses a whole host of mnemonic devices to get his people to remember what He has done for them: annual feasts (Dt. 16:1-16), stones with messages carved into them (Dt. 27:1-3), monuments (Jos. 4:1-9), writing scripture on doorposts (Dt. 6:9), repeating His words daily (Dt. 6:7) and even singing songs (Dt. 31:16-22).

As we struggle along, the key device that has helped me somewhat keep my eyes where they should be, has been listening to and singing praise songs and hymns. Scripture memorization has always been difficult for me, so meditating on it has not been an easy practice. However, it’s amazing how scriptural truths are easily remembered when set to a catchy tune. It’s also amazing how much music written for God, no matter what the mode, can help elevate the soul from the depths of despair and turn crabbiness into cheerfulness. In good times and bad it is important to set up our “standing stones”, to find the mnemonic devices that help us say “Thus far has the LORD helped us” (1Sa. 7:12 – NIV84). Then when we’re in the depths of the pit as we are now, we can look back and be encouraged, we can sing and rejoice despite the circumstances and offer the sacrifice of praise as He desires. I’m still working on it and a long way from being “there”, but I’m looking for my standing stones and sacred songs these days so that God can move through me.

What are some of your standing stones that help you remember God’s faithfulness to you?