End of the Journey?

^{by Jon}

“Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you…’” Genesis 12:1

As we are writing this, we have been in Lopburi for about two weeks and we thank God for His protection and strength. It has been a long journey, from moving out of our first home to the OMF guesthouse for a month-long orientation course, to moving once again to Bangkok, and onward to Lopburi. Living out of our suitcases have been challenging but we are glad to be able to settle down and set up our new home where we stay for about a year. 

This experience has led us to reflect on how God called Abraham out of the city of Ur. It must have been even more trying for Abraham to uproot his family and pack up all he owned into an unknown future. He had no idea where he was going, how long he and his family would be on the move, or whether they would eventually manage to get there. All he had was the voice and call of God to move out of His comfort zone. 

This made us realize that while our move might have been a big one, it is likely not going to be the largest, nor was it going to be our last. Just as the Israelites were constantly on the move in the desert for 40 years, we believe that God has called all of us to be on the move. Perhaps the move may not be across geographical boundaries but crossing one’s comfort zone to show love to someone who really needs it now. Perhaps it might be a move across social boundaries to strike up a conversation with someone who is very different from us, and perhaps, most would treat as invisible. Perhaps it might be crossing the chasm of pride to apologize or offer forgiveness to another even when they do not admit being in the wrong. Whether the definition, the decision requires a move – from a place of complacency to a place of hunger for God; from a place of disobedience to a place of holy submission; from a place of self-sufficiency to a place of reliance on God’s provision. 

And when does the journey end? Just as we are prepared to move once again a year from now after our language learning and to endure even more moves in the years to come, we will only come to rest when we finally see Jesus face to face and are secure in His embrace. This is our hope and the hope of all those who trust in Jesus who will provide and strengthen us for our journey till we finally rest in Him.