“For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever.” Psalm 37:28
A year ago, we found a beautiful river rock at the base of a waterfall on our family’s property. We lugged it back to their cabin and my daughter got caught putting it inside our car as we were saying goodbyes. She has a way of stashing souvenirs during all of our adventures. When my uncle saw it, we told him we planned to take it home, wash it, write a Bible verse on it, and bring it back on our next visit. None of us knew in that moment that God was preserving a piece of something we might not see again for a long time.
A few months later, Hurricane Helene battered those glorious North Carolina mountains and their elevated oasis wasn’t spared from the path of the natural disaster. The high speed winds, torrential rains, and resulting landslides completely changed the way their paradise looked. The waterfall collapsed, the driveway washed out, and the road to their cabin was no longer there. While the earth was carrying away much of what was held on the surface of their property, it did not take everything… there was one keepsake that remained safely tucked away in our garage.
A few days after the storm, Patrick and my dad were able to divinely rescue our stranded family. A miracle I still cannot get over given the conditions and absolute wreckage from here to there. When they were on their way back, I remembered the river rock. So, after the tears fell and hugs were longer than normal, I handed over a timely promise written on a piece of history now more precious than ever. It was undeniable in that exchange that God knew what was going to happen and He intervened and saved something that we could remember Him by in the years to come. He set aside His own monument and we faithfully carried it on a journey unknown. He intended to reveal Himself as the Rock that holds steady in every storm, wind, and rain. And o’ glory, yes He is!
I believe He also knew His word would be written upon it and that touched His heart. As I considered this on the way to meet up with my family, I heard the Lord say, “These monuments will be a guide for the remnant.” I saw little hands and feet that would find this rock in the earth and discover a special blessing from Heaven. He is the God who is always saving a remnant and putting His seal upon their lives and the altars they build for Him here below. Not only does this rock symbolize redemption and deliverance, but it speaks to the coming generations of the power of faith and how mighty God is in the middle of our storms not just to lift us up and out, but to bring us back and show us new landscapes of His heart.
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