All you have to do is to poke around the shady groves of farms in the Midwest (the heartland of America) and you’ll find them. They are tucked behind the barn or under a tree. They are quite unnoticed monuments to decades of hard work and sweat. Added to and rarely subtracted from. Simply known as rock piles.
I guess it sort of depends on the lay of the farmer’s land. But before planting crops, it’s sometimes necessary to harvest rock. The freezing of winter and the thawing of spring brings to the surface of the ground stones that were previously hidden. Some are hand-sized. An easy grab and pitch into a skid loader bucket or onto a flatbed trailer. Others require two hands, a knee bend and a strong back. And on rare occasion, one needs to be pulled out with a tractor and a log chain.
All you have to do in these parts where I live is say the phrase “pick rock” to an Iowa farm kid and they know exactly what you’re talking about.
Let's think about it. The reason for picking rock is actually quite simple. Here in Iowa, come harvest time you don’t want a field stone to go screaming through the internal gears of a John Deere combine that could be traded even up for one of your nicer homes in Scottsdale, Edina, or Lake Forest. So to avoid costly down time and expensive repairs, you walk the field and move the rock to an out of the way place.
Joshua 4 is a favorite of mine in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. The story there is that the miracle-working God rolls back the waters of the Jordan River to allow the people of Israel to walk across on dry ground. And this same God instructs them to build a monument of 12 stones to mark the event. He had a specific reason. “…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. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
The fact is that God knows that we created beings have short memories. That’s why He wanted these people named here to set up 12 stones as a reminder of the miracle He did. You got it. That rock pile was for remembering the great work He had done for them.
When I think about my journey of life, it often occurs to me that I’ve done more than my share of worrying. And most of my worrying was tied to things that I certainly had no control over. A lot of asking God why He seems so slow to respond in certain areas of my life. And if I’m honest, no small amount of doubt and anxiety. Wondering sometimes silently and sometimes in full voice, “God, are you really gonna take care of me?”
Of course, the irony in all this is that I’ve come to understand that I've done my worrying and doubting and whining while sitting squarely on top of my little rock pile. Those stones of good health, food to eat, a place to live, a car to drive, healthy children, opportunities to earn a living, friends old and new, wonderful parents, a church family, and multiple moments of God’s grace and mercy, dropped into my life at a point of need and always above and beyond what I could ask or imagine.
Such audacity of me! To sit atop my rock pile of blessings - lifetime proof of God’s faithful provision - and wonder if He will come through for me this time?
I'm really beginning to wonder at this part of my journey if there is more symbolism to the stones than I realize. Could it possibly be God’s inside joke of what a blockhead I can be? God must be laughing on the inside while I'm squealing on the outside.
So this simple prayer I pray. God, please forgive my arrogance of distrusting You while surrounded by your tangible blessings. Help me to be mindful that You are forever faithful, my Source and my Provider. When I wonder, when I doubt, remind me to look at the rock pile that You’ve built in my life and renew my faith and trust, because You are faithful and true.
From me to you - here’s hoping you take a good long look at your rock pile. Yes, I have one, too. You're not alone.
“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need He saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” - Psalm 116:5-7
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