A Memory Box

Remembering God’s works

Welcome! This week I will celebrate a birthday. You know…one of those birthdays…with a zero at the end…when you do lots of reminiscing. Some of you may have a memory box full of treasures from years gone by. Things that make you smile or laugh or cry as you see the experience in your mind and feel the warmth of the stirred emotion. Let’s ponder memory boxes today and remember God’s works in our lives. As always, thank you for sharing your time with me.

My memory box 

I overslept by only a few minutes, but enough to have to pull my quickly washed hair into a pitifully small ponytail at the base of my neck. Then, ran through a quick checklist of needed items… keys☑️… Bible☑️… Bible study book☑️… pen☑️… purse☑️… mascara (in case there was time to apply)☑️… and headed out the door to fight the traffic.

What a relief to get to Bible study about 40 minutes later. To slow down. Breathe. Laugh. Enjoy the fellowship of friends and the joy of His Word–even without mascara.

Our discussion that morning was on the importance of remembering God. We can easily recall special interactions–or maybe even mundane ones–with a spouse or child or friend or parent who is dear to us. Should remembrance characterize our relationship with God as well? Oh, yes, and even more so! He wants us–and on occasions, commands us–to remember Him. Consider the following scriptures: 

As the Bible study discussion progressed, I shared that I have a mental memory box–storage for personal experiences with God that helps me remember His love, forgiveness, provision, protection, guidance, and sovereignty. I don’t overfill it, though I easily could; but this box serves the special purpose of keeping me centered, of reminding me who God is and how He has been there in my life. When things are really in turmoil, the lid comes off that box. The contents–the stories of His faithfulness and grace–settle my mind. Like the Psalmist, I can say, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Ps. 42:11).

God’s memory box

I confess: I did not come up with this idea on my own. I took inspiration from God’s Word.

In Exodus 25, God gave Moses directions for building an ornate box known as the ark of the covenant. It was made of acacia wood, covered inside and out with pure gold. Gold angels adorned the mercy seat on top. This beautiful ark was a symbol of mercy and atonement in the Old Testament and foreshadowed things to come in the New.

But we will save most of that for the next post. For now, let’s consider what was inside the box.

As the Israelites traveled through the wilderness on the way to the promised land, God was with them and acted on their behalf daily. The people could have saved any number of things to help them look back and remember God’s works on their journey–a bit of dry sand from the bed of the Red Sea as water stood tall on either side, two small, cracked rocks pointing to God bringing water from a rock twice, 40-year old sandals that never wore out. 

But this was God’s ark. Communicating His message. Contents collected under His direction. 

God did not have Moses collect a memento from each day, week, month, or even year. Instead, this sacred golden box held only three items: “a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant” (Heb. 9:4 ESV). So, why these three items?

God’s message through treasured reminders

For the Israelites, each item would remind them of experiences with God in the wilderness and lessons learned about His character.

The golden urn of manna

Throughout the people’s 40 years of wandering, manna appeared daily except on the Sabbath (Ex. 16:14-36). Trying to save a little extra resulted in worms and a bad odor (again, except on the Sabbath). The golden urn would have symbolized the “daily” nature of God’s care and their dependence, while also emphasizing the holiness of the Sabbath.

The golden urn of manna (that never had worms) communicated God’s unfailing provision for physical and spiritual needs.

Aaron’s staff that budded

In Numbers 14, the Israelites failed to trust God and enter the Promised Land. With 40 years of aimless desert wandering in their future, many openly rebelled against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16). God instructed Moses to bring twelve walking sticks before the ark of the covenant, each carved with the name of a tribe’s leader. Overnight, God would cause one dead stick of wood to sprout–the one belonging to His ordained leader. Miraculously, Aaron’s “dead stick” not only sprouted, but had buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds! (Numbers 17)

Aaron’s staff that budded communicated God’s sovereignty and the need to submit obediently to His will.

The tablets of the covenant

The tablets of the covenant featured the words of the Ten Commandments, God’s moral law. God spoke the commandments to the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai, shortly after the exodus from Egypt (Ex. 20:1-17), then later provided them in written form (31:18, 34:28). Years of exposure to the pagan culture of Egypt had left the people with a distorted understanding of God and sin, so the commandments defined how to honor God and each other. 

The tablets of the covenant and the words on them communicated God’s character, as well as how to act toward Him and others in response to that knowledge.   

Closing

These items hold significance I cannot convey in this brief space, but we’ll explore more next time. Clearly, though, God wanted to be remembered. He loved His chosen people and wanted a relationship with them. However, a relationship where one half forgets the other–or forgets the meaningful interactions between them–is not much of a relationship.

So let’s honor God by intentionally remembering who He is and what He has done. I do that through a mental memory box. You may have a different means of storage. If so, please ​scroll down and share your method. If you want to start your own memory box, then ​share​ the first item you will store and the aspect of God’s character it reveals to you.

I look forward to hearing how you honor God by remembering Him!

©2026 Catherine L Hill. All rights reserved.

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