​It was in the late 1860s that Americans began to give tribute to fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers and flags. The day on which they did this became known as "Decoration Day." This special day started to morph into something bigger for the nation. On May 30, 1865, Union General John Logan called for an official day of remembrance to honor those who died in the Civil War. It was in 1968 that Congress passed the "Uniform Monday Holiday Act" which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. But it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971. Our celebrations today include parades, picnics, and events honoring those who died in the service of our country. It is a sacred tradition for the president of the United States to place a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier. Also, our American flag is supposed to be at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day.
 
All these traditions are meant to bring to mind the brave people who fought valiantly for our freedoms. God recognized how important it was for His people to remember the ways in which He rescued and provided for them. That is why He told the children of Israel to pick up stones from the bottom of the Jordan River after they had crossed over into the Promised Land. God said, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." (Joshua 4:2, 3) Joshua, their leader, told them the reason God instructed them to collect these stones. He said they are to "serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord...These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." (Joshua 4:6-8)
 
The twelve stones taken from the Jordan River were set up at the camp called Gilgal. I think it is no coincidence that the name Gilgal means, liberty, wheel, or sacred circle. Joshua told his people, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God." (Joshua 4:21-24)
 
There is such power and encouragement in remembering the unfailing love of God! This is especially important when we are going through difficult times. When we look at a reminder of God's presence in and promises for our lives, we are able to move forward with assurance. Whether we have a written journal or a symbol to look at, it is wise to practice a way to remember God’s faithfulness. We also have the responsibility of telling the next generation about God's love and faithfulness. Visuals are always helpful in telling a story. King David wrote Psalm 145 with this in mind: "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds. They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness." (Psalm 145:3-7) We must ask ourselves on this Memorial Day weekend, “How are we remembering the faithfulness of God in our lives?”

​Some of the old hymns written about the blood of Jesus declare it to be our victory. Likewise, Scriptures proclaim this, such as Ephesians 1:7. "In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." The Church needs to remember that the purchase price for our redemption was the blood of Jesus. "We were bought with a price,” 1 Corinthians 6:20 and 7:23 tell us. The blood of Jesus is the only recognized currency in heaven. It is through faith that we appropriate the blood of Jesus.
 
If we look at the history of the blood covering, we must start with Adam and Eve in the Garden. When they sinned against God their attempt to cover their nakedness with fig leaves was insufficient. It took the slaughtering of animals and shedding of their blood to cover their sin. The blood sacrifice became the atonement or covering of the sin of Adam and Eve. The sacrificing of animals during the time of the Old Covenant was a foreshadow of what would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ at the Cross as He offered us a New Covenant.
 
The Lord spoke to Moses about the blood as he was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. "For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourself on the altar..." (Leviticus 17:11) We must understand that it is the blood that carries the gift of life from God. Up until the birth of Jesus, there was no perfect sacrifice for sin. That is why so many animals had to die regularly for the covering of sin. When Jesus went to the Cross, the blood He shed was pure and uncontaminated. 1 Peter 1:19 calls it "precious blood." For this reason, the sacrifice of the shed blood of Jesus only needed to be done once. (Hebrews 9:12) t took away our sins from the past, present, and future.
 
Romans 3:25 and 26 in The Passion Translation explains the sacrifice of God through His Son beautifully: "Jesus' God-given destiny was to be the sacrifice to take away sins and now He is our mercy seat because of His death on the Cross. We come to Him for mercy, for God has made a provision for us to be forgiven by faith in the sacred blood of Jesus. This is the perfect demonstration of God's justice, because until now, He had been so patient—holding back His justice out of tolerance for us. So, He covered over the sins of those who lived prior to Jesus' sacrifice. And when the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away His righteousness and still be true to both His justice and His mercy—to offer up His own Son. So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, God declares us righteous in His eyes!"
 
The enemy of our souls does his best to discourage the Church from teaching about the power of the blood, taking communion, and pleading its power. He is helpless against it. The value of the blood as we plead it includes mercy, forgiveness, pardon, healing, protection, deliverance, and peace. The song, "O The Blood" by Gateway Worship and Kari Jobe, has a chorus that explains the power of the blood. "Oh, the blood of Jesus washes me. Oh, the blood of Jesus shed for me. What a sacrifice that saved my life; Yes, the blood, it is my victory." We would do well to keep this in mind.

​According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, the definition of transition is "the process or a period of change from one state or condition to another." This shifting from one state or place to another is mostly uncomfortable. When we are in transition, we must be willing to work on the process of transformation and look at the developments that are taking place as we progress.
 
The Bible is filled with stories of people making changes in their lives and trusting in God to provide for all their needs. But the one that stands out to me the most is when the children of Israel were moving toward Mount Sinai under the direction of Moses. During the first month of the year, Nisan, God set them free from slavery and brought them out with plunder from the Egyptians. They were making their way to a place where they would meet God, and He would give them directions on how to live their lives in the future. In essence, they were moving from redemption to revelation. The Israelites had fifty days of traveling to reach their destination. Their travels became a trial because they forgot what God had done for them in Egypt. They did not remember the powerful signs, wonders, and miracles they experienced before and during their time of freedom.
 
God's plan was to use this transition time to teach the children of Israel about Himself. With each trial and subsequent provision for them, they received insight into God's marvelous power and personality. Through several examples, God was saying to them, "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) Despite what God had done, they had their first breakdown in the Desert of Shur. They had been without water for three days until they came to Marah. The water here was too bitter to drink, so they reacted by grumbling against Moses. God instructed Moses to place a tree into the water which resulted in the transformation of the water into sweet liquid. A decree was sent from God: "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals." (Exodus 15:26) First and foremost, God wanted His people to know Him as "Jehovah Rapha," The Lord Who Heals.
 
It did not take long for the children of Israel to grumble again. Exodus 16:1 tells us that this occurred on the "Fifteenth day of the second month," which is Iyar, the month we are in now. The community complained because they were concerned about lack of food. God used this opportunity to tell them that He is "Jehovah Jireh," The Lord Who Provides. He rained down manna and quail for His people so they had more than they needed. A third teaching moment came when the Lord helped Israel defeat the Amalekites who had attacked them. Aaron and Hur stood at the top of the hill with Moses and held up his arms while the Israelites fought. After they won the battle, Moses built an altar and called it "Jehovah Nissi," The Lord is My Banner.
 
As we can see, the time of transition became a time of learning and drawing closer to God. What can we learn from this story? First, we must remember what God has done in the past. Psalm 77:11 says, "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago." Then, when we are in a time of transition, we must trust God and seek His guidance. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 say it all. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Finally, we must give thanks to Him for all that He has done and will continue to do. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17) I hope that these truths encourage you during your times of transition and as you contemplate what happened to the Israelites during this month of Iyar. God is faithful, and He uses our times of uncertainty to draw closer to us, introduce us to new aspects of His personality, and prepare us for our new seasons.