Deuteronomy 8:2
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, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

We have to remember the whole journey, because God is leading the whole time.  He took Israel along a path where they got hungry, but He fed them, where they got thirsty, but He gave them water, where they faced enemies, but He gave them victory.  The way was long, but He never left them.  And sometimes our path through life seems like that wild and weary wilderness, but He’s been with us for the duration.  But have we left Him?  Have we murmured and complained?  Did we want to give up and turn back to where we came from?  Did we seek out some other idol?  Did we forsake what He’s told us to do?  Did we neglect to give Him the honor and glory and submission He is due?  Have we failed to trust His Word?

Sometimes God takes us through these kinds of places to see what we’re made of and if we are devoted to Him or if we will turn aside from what He wants us to do.  Sometimes He brings some circumstances into our lives that reveal our true hearts and expose whether we will cling to Him or reject Him.  He seeks to dig out those roots of pride that embed inside our hearts and tangle us up in rebellion.  He wants us to be humble and to depend on Him and surrender to Him.

So can we take a step back and look back over our whole journey thus far and see God’s hand in it all along the way?  When we thought we’d have to go without, He was there to provide.  When we thought we’d never make it, He gave us strength.  When we feared to go out alone, He went with us.  When we got to a desperate place, He made a way.  When we were sure we’d be overcome, He gave us victory.  So let us learn this lesson—that if  God is leading, we can confidently follow.

Let us remember how we’ve gotten to where we are.  This story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt is recounted over and over in Scripture.  It was something they were to take with them and take to heart because it taught them those important lessons about who God is and how He is able and the kinds of things He can do.  This story was proof of their unfaithfulness, but then it also magnified God’s faithfulness, His reliability, His power and His mercy.  So let us take to heart the lessons God has taught us wherever our journey has taken us.