“[18] But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. [19] You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. ”
Deuteronomy 7:18-19 NIV

I was wondering how I was going to add something to a similar verse from last week, a concept that we humans just seem to struggle to do consistently, but the Holy Spirit is always willing to teach us through Scripture!

As I thought about this verse, my daughter gave me a good example of what not to do. I can say this because she reacts a lot like me. Something good happens, and instead of taking a minute to celebrate and give thanks, we charge right on through to the next problem.

Basically, God had to order people like us to celebrate. And that’s what God did for the Israelites with their holidays.

And of course science is now proving how celebrating helps memory. Here is what Google says:

“• Dopamine Release and Reward Cementing: When you celebrate an achievement, your brain releases dopamine (a pleasure and reward neurotransmitter). Dopamine acts as a natural bookmark that helps cement the experience of success into your long-term memory.
• Emotional Encoding: The brain naturally pays closer attention to and stores extreme emotional states—both high joy and deep distress. Joyful, celebratory moments signal to your brain that this event matters, making it easier to encode and recall later.
• Solidifying Learned Lessons: Acknowledging small or big wins reinforces neural networks. It links the effort you put in with a positive outcome, signaling to your brain to repeat the behavior.”

How do you remember what God has done in the past? How do you celebrate? What do you think about this passage?