My morning Bible reading has been in the book of Genesis. The last few days I have been reliving the experiences of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob is a very interesting character. He’s a conniver, a schemer – a real con man. And then he has a personal encounter with God; in his sleep he dreamt he saw a ladder leading to heaven.
“The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz. 20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. 22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” Genesis 28:18-22 NLT
Joshua also stacked stones as a memorial for the people of Israel when they crossed in to the Promised Land. Jesus is called the chief cornerstone. Stones were used to mark important occasions in the Bible. They were permanent, they couldn’t be destroyed.
When we moved to our home in Southern Arizona I enjoyed looking at the yards of our neighbors as I would be out on a walk. Most of the yards had stacks of rocks piled at one corner of the property. Some stacks were tall, others were just 3 or 4 large rocks set one upon the other.
One day I asked a neighbor why the rocks? He told me that is was something that had been done in our area for hundreds of years. It was a way of marking a particular area. He wasn’t sure why, but they decided to place a traditional stack of rocks in their yard.
The stones that Jacob stacked had meaning. He even named the place so that all who came that way would know of his meeting with God. Through the years the stones were a testimony of God’s goodness. They spoke of Jacob’s faith in God.
There are things in each of our lives that should be memorialized. Times when the Lord has met us in a special way. We should tell our children and our neighbors of God’s goodness. The first big stone we place can be a reminder of when God showed us His overwhelming love and brought us into relationship with Himself. Then there could be more stones stacked throughout the years; healing, deliverance, baptism of the Holy Spirit, protection, provision, etc.
We have placed a stack of seven large stones in our front yard. It took seven years to sell our home in Montana and move back to Arizona. Those stones commemorate God’s faithfulness to us.
“Then Joshua told the people: Years from now your children will ask you why these rocks are here. 22-23 Tell them, “The Lord our God dried up the Jordan River so we could walk across. He did the same thing here for us that he did for our people at the Red Sea, 24 because he wants everyone on earth to know how powerful he is. And he wants us to worship only him.” Joshua 4:21-24 CEV
I’m sure you have plenty of reasons to make your own stack of stones. Don’t stack stones as a matter of tradition but as a source of testimony.