“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart.”
The Feast
Moses instructs Israel to remember all the way, not merely the destination finally reached, but the entire journey, forty years of wilderness, hardship, provision, and testing, all of it included within what is worth deliberately remembering, not only the arrival that eventually came.
This matters for how this whole book approaches joy. Genuine feast joy is not built by selectively remembering only the pleasant, easy parts of your own story while conveniently forgetting the wilderness years. It is built, this verse suggests, by remembering all the way, hardship and provision together, the whole journey honestly held.
Notice the stated purpose: to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart. The wilderness years were not wasted or merely unfortunate delay before the real story began. They were formative, revealing, worth remembering specifically because of what they actually accomplished, not despite their difficulty.
As this book begins with remembering, consider your own all the way, not merely the highlight moments easiest to celebrate, but the whole journey, wilderness included, worth deliberately calling to mind as the actual foundation this book’s later movements of rejoicing and overflow will be built upon.
Keep the Feast
- Recall one wilderness season in your own story, not only the easy, celebrated moments.
- Notice what that season actually revealed or accomplished in you, difficult as it was.
- Thank God today for the whole journey, not merely its more pleasant portions.
Prayer
Lord, let me remember all the way you have led me, wilderness included, not merely the easy parts. Thank you for what the whole journey has actually accomplished. Amen.
Carry this today
Remember the whole journey, not only its easiest, most celebrated parts.