Remembering your Story

Let me tell you a true story. In the Spring of 2021, my family and I went to the Grand Canyon. While we were on our vacation, we decided to hike to the bottom and back up again in one day. Usually this is a two-day hike, but we were going to attempt it in one. So I woke up early one morning, filled my water bottles, and started walking. In just a couple hours I was wading into the Colorado River at the bottom of the trail. Then, it was time to start going up. One thing about this trail is that it is long, over 7 miles one way. So while I was going up, I ran out of water. Now if you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon, you know that it can get really hot, and it feels like a real wilderness in there. So running out of water is not a good thing at all. On top of that, it’s so hot down there that I get heat sickness, which only makes the hike that much more difficult. But I just kept going, one foot in front of the other. After several more hours (much longer than it took to get to the bottom) I finally got to the bend in the trail that I remembered from the beginning. I was so close, I could also see the hotel from where I was! I was just thinking about the nice, hot shower and long nap I was going to take as soon as I got back. But I had to just keep going to get there. Then I finally did it! I finally walked my way out of the canyon, back in civilization. I could drink as much water as I wanted. I could rest as much as I wanted. I could finally live in the abundance that I lacked in the canyon.

We all have those stories that we tell time and time again. This is one of them for me. Someone just mentions hiking and I jump in- “You know, one time I was at the Grand Canyon....” But we all have those kinds of stories that we tell. For one reason or another we just love to share them, we love to tell other people about our lives and experiences. And its only natural.

There’s something about the power of a story. They have a special significance to them, and they are very important. There are lots of ways people start stories. “Guess what happened to me today...” or “That reminds me of a time when...” or “Something similar happened to me a while ago...” Regardless of how the story starts, we all understand that the thing we are about to hear has significance, probably because stories tell us something about the one speaking. We hear what someone is passionate about, what makes them angry, or happy, or sad, what they’ve experienced, why they are the person that they are today, what they believe in. Stories are important. And that is why it is so important that we remember them.

But not all stories are about good times. In fact, I’m sure that you all have your fair share of bad ones, of sad ones, of ones that speak of disappointment. In fact, I’m sure that a good portion of the stories you have have more to do with a trial than it does with an easy-going life.

Just think about my hiking story: I run out of water, I get heat sickness, I have to walk up-hill for 7 miles in the wilderness. Those things were difficult. Have you ever been in the wilderness? Are you in one now? I’m not talking about a literal wilderness, but a spiritual one. Where life just isn’t going the way that you wanted it to. Things have just been so difficult for so long and you aren’t sure how you’re even holding on. Life is messy and its hard. Or maybe right now you find yourself on the edge, in a state of transition. You’re not quite out of the wilderness yet but you can see a place of rest just at your fingertips. You’ve done the work, you’ve gone through the trials, and now you feel so close to something good. Or maybe your already in the place of rest, and you’re just hoping that the wilderness doesn’t catch back up to you because you’re comfortable where you are. I’m sure you’ve been in each of these places at different times, but each one of your stories are unique. Remember them.

Life can sometimes be a vicious cycle of ups and downs. But this is not just now life, no! This has been the story that life has told since the beginning. In fact, the Israelites went through just this thing, both physically and spiritually. They are slaves in Egypt and God rescues them. Then they wander around in the wilderness for years before finally making it to the edge of the Promised Land. They’ve spend the time, they’ve put in the work, and they’ve walked the miles. And here they are, just a stone’s throw away from the land of abundance that they’d been promised. So close to rest and security. So close they could smell the sweet milk and honey that flowed in the land. So close they could see the lush green. So close they could hear the sound of running water. They’ve finally made it! But before they can go in, Moses has one last speech to give to them. This is where we find them in Deuteronomy 8.

Deuteronomy 8 says,

Deuteronomy 8 NASB 95

“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.

There are all different types of stories. Love stories, war stories, superhero stories. This one that Moses tells is a family story. He is telling the Israelites the story of their time in the wilderness, how God has led them and cared for them, how God has protected them and brought them to the edge of this land that will be so abundant for them, and how God desires to bless them. And Moses is telling the Israelites: Remember this story!! Remember the story of what God has done for you! Remember how He has cared for you! Remember and obey what He commands of you so that you can have a continued relationship with Him!

It’s interesting where Moses starts this story. He says that God swore to give this land to their forefathers. This story started long ago, long before they stood at the banks of the Jordan. This story started when Abraham left all that he had because God told him to. Abraham, living in a far-away land, left everything he knew and came to a land that God promised to give to those who came after him. If you remember Abraham and Isaac and Jacob’s story, you also remember that it was not all sunshine and rainbows. There was frequently famine and conflict, in fact, family drove Israel to Egypt in the first place. This story that Moses is telling is a story of wildernesses. And the young Israelite nation needed to remember this.

Shortly after Moses begins his speech, he recounts the audience’s own experience in the wilderness. He highlights something very important: the Israelites were not able to provide for themselves at all. In fact, it was God who led them, it was God who fed them with manna, it was God who gave them water from the rock. God prevented their clothing from wearing out and their feet from swelling. This is who God is: He is the One who provides for us when we cannot provide for ourselves! And Moses is saying: “Remember this! Remember what God has done for us!”

I’m sure you have had experiences where you could not provide for yourself. Whether spiritually or physically, we have all had times, and will probably have them again, where we have been unable to give ourselves what we really need.

For example: I am not very good at allowing myself to rest. I can complain all day about feeling tired and exhausted and just wishing that it was time to go to sleep, but as soon as night hits, I can’t pull myself away from what I’m doing. Sometimes I’m being productive, at other times I’m just passing the time. Regardless of what I’m doing, I can feel sometimes as if I’m just not able to allow myself the rest that I need.

So whether its a physical need that you cannot meet or a spiritual need, know that God is the One who provides. He is the One who is present through it all. He has a long history of leading His people. Think about your story, remember how God has acting in the past.

There’s one more aspect of Israel’s time in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry... that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

The wilderness was not an accidental part of God’s dealing with Israel. It was intentional and important, it was meant to teach them something. Sometimes, the wilderness that we are experiencing is God giving us a trial that we have to work through. Sometimes the difficult things that we are experiencing is God forcing us to confront difficult truths, to cast off the things that are holding us back from Him, and to learn about His character so as to make us love Him more. In this case, God gives us the reason for the trial. He gives it because He was wanting Israel to learn that they cannot live without Him! That is the ultimate purpose of every wilderness time. It’s to learn that we can do nothing apart from Him, we need Him. We see that it is not nature or food that truly satisfies and sustains life, it is God and all of the good things that come from Him.

Think back to your own story. When you have been in this time of wilderness, how has God sustained you? How has God led you and provided for you and taught you what you needed to know? Remember you story. Remember how God has been faithful to you.

While the wilderness is often the most dramatic place, the place where our minds are focused the most on, we do not stay there forever. So there will be times when we find ourselves in a state of transition; neither in the wilderness proper but also not in the place of security. This is where Israel is at this moment in Deuteronomy; looking back at the wilderness and forward at security at the same time.

This is a very important place to be and should not be rushed through, because it allows us to imagine God’s providence carrying through to the places of our live that we wouldn’t always be inclined to see Him. Verse 7 begins with these words, “For the Lord your God is bringing into a good land...” The Israelites aren’t leaving the wilderness because they they did the work. They aren’t leaving the wilderness because they finally earned it. They’re leaving the wilderness because God is bringing them. God is the One who leads you out of the wilderness.

Moses then describes this land that God is bringing them into. Interestingly, most of the descriptions correspond to something that the Israelites lacked in the desert. Moses said that there was plentiful water and that food was growing around every corner so there would be no lack. This is something that God is providing them, and He is using this time of transition to show them that this is all from His hand, not from theirs. And I imagine that Moses is shouting at them now: “Remember this! Remember that God is the source of all your blessings! You are about to receive something amazing, remember that God is the One who is going to give it to you!”

But God is going to give them more than what they have lacked, He is going to bless them abundantly. Not only is He going to give them abundant food and water, He is going to give them opportunities. The last half of verse 9 says, “...a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.” This is not only a land full of food, its a land full of richness.

The food and water will keep their bodies satisfied, but the wealth of the land will provide them with opportunities beyond that. They will not only be satisfied, they will prosper.

Right now I’m in one of these seasons of transition. I’m about to graduate from college and Sonya and I don’t know what we’re going to do or where we’re going to go after this. And because I’m in this position, I am able to look back throughout my life and see how God has guided me to be where I am now. I’m so thankful for all that God has done. Because I remember His guiding hand in the past, I know that I don’t have to worry about where I’ll end up. Because God supplies all of the opportunities I need, I know that it will all be ok.

Now think back over your own story. Think back to those periods of transitions where you had these choices in front of you. Remember how God provided what you needed. Not just your immediate physical needs, but also the opportunities that you needed. Not every Israelite became prosperous, there were some who were poor among them. But this does not mean that God did not provide for them. So wherever you find yourself, remember how God has been active in your story.

The last half of Moses’ speech is concerned with the fulfillment of all of the promises that He gave to them. This is a great thing, one of the largest demonstrations of His faithfulness to His people. But Moses seems to think that there is some danger inherent in it. In fact, it seems like he thinks that the abundance and richness of the new land will cause them to forget God and all that He has done for them.

You’ve heard the phrase “Power corrupts.” It seems to be a natural to humanity that when we have power, when we have too much excess, we can wind up using it for bad things. We are apt to become prideful and forget what we have come from.

Moses is very concerned with this. He says in verses 11-14, ““Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

In other words he’s saying, “You are about to have so much. You are about to become more than just slaves. You are going to have wealth, and large flocks, and abundant food. But despite this, do not think that it is because of you that you have this. Do not become prideful. Do not forget what God has brought you out of!”

Have you ever listened to someone tell a story, but about halfway through you think, “I’ve heard you say this before, but it wasn’t like this.” I think we all know someone who has stories that change as time goes on. Usually these changes are embellishments to make them look better. Maybe its just a number changed a little here, or a distance is amplified there. I think we all know someone who does this. But, its also just kind of natural for us to do this for any story. Not just so that others will look better on us, but also so we can look better for ourselves.

Moses is trying to safeguard against this, because in verses 15-16 he again emphasizes that it was God who led them in the wilderness, it was God who protected them from the dangerous animals, it was God who gave them water, and it was God who gave them food. And God did all of these things so that they couldn’t say about themselves, as verse 17 says, “‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’” Because it didn’t. Your hand did not provide anything for yourself, it is only God who who gives you what you need.

And we can do the same thing today. It is so easy to look at what we have, to look at our possessions, and think, “Look at what I’ve done. Look at how I’ve provided for myself and my family.” But when we do this, we are only falling into the same mindset as what prompted Moses to make this speech in the first place. Do not let pride get in the way of seeing what God has done for you.

Instead, think about your blessings, count them, and as many as you can count, as high as you can count, you are counting ways in which God has provided for you. Don’t think that you have built your life by yourself. But instead, as verse 18 says, “But you shall remember the Lord you God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth...” Remember God! Do not forget what He has done for you! He is an active part of your story, remember Him!

Every chapter of our stories has its own danger. In the wilderness, its the danger of being overwhelmed, in the transition area its the danger of not carrying forward what God has taught us in the wilderness, and being by far the most dangerous place to be, the place of abundance has the danger of forgetting that God was there at all, in any part of your story. Because of this we must be on guard. We must actively try to remember our story, what God has brought us through.

Let me tell you a true story. In the Spring of 2021, my family and I went to the Grand Canyon. While we were on our vacation, we decided to hike to the bottom and back up again in one day. Usually this is a two-day hike, but we were going to attempt it in one. So we woke up early one morning, filled our water bottles, and started walking. In just a couple hours we were wading into the Colorado River at the bottom of the trail. Then, it was time to start going up, and while we were going, I ran out of water. Now if you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon, you know that it can get really hot, and it feels like a real wilderness in there, so running out of water is not a good thing at all. On top of that, it’s so hot down there that I get heat sickness, which only makes the hike that much more difficult. But I have to just kept going, one foot in front of the other. I struggle, a lot. But something that I didn’t really talk about before was that I wasn’t alone. I ran out of water and food, but my father was there with me, and he gave me his own water when I needed it, and he gave me food from his bag when I was hungry. If he had not been there, I would have had nothing to eat or drink. But he gave me water and food and found places for me to rest. That’s not a part of the story that I often tell, but it’s important to remember, because it shows me how much my father loves me, even though he was exasperated with our pace.

We have a Father who loves us, who is involved in every part of our story. He has provided us with everything we need, including the blood of His Son. Let us remember Him. Let us remember His story. Let us remember how He was born a man, remember how He took on flesh, remember how He lived and walked among us, remember how He laid down His life for us, endured such great shame, and bled and died so that we could live. Remember Him! Let us, as Hebrews 12:2–3 says, “[fix] our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

God has provided for us in all of the different chapters of our story, whether we are able to see Him in it or not. So whatever chapter your in now, whether in the wilderness, in transition, or in the place of abundance, remember God and His great love and care for you, “so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.”

If anyone here wants to put Christ on in baptism, to reenact and remember His great story, please come. And if anyone has any needs, please come, as we stand and sing.