We only have a few places we hear about Jesus before he was an adult. Even from a young age we see that Jesus was fully human, and deeply loved God the Father. Like all of us Jesus had to grow and mature into who God created Him to be.
Stories are powerful. They can remind us of favorite memories, impactful people, and formative experiences. By Joshua 4 the Jewish people have a “this isn’t Kansas anymore” moment as they stand on the edge of the land God was leading them to. But before they step into the next chapter of that journey, they pause, to remember all that God has already done, and to be sure they don’t forget as they step into the next part of their journey.
Sometimes it feels like we are stuck in a rut, or even at a dead end. The people with Joshua had felt it several times before. At the edge of the Red Sea, when food ran low, when what direction to go was fuzzy. In each instance God moved, God worked, God did something in and around them to show and remind them of his faithfulness. What are our stories that we can look back on and remind one another about how we have seen God at work?
Grit, doing hard things, perseverance are words that I hear often. What about when it gets challenging, when the pressure is on and when emotions run high? Rahab models a faith in God, that believes who God will be today is connected to who God has been before. That while faith still is hard, we ground it in who we know God to be, and trust what he will do.