Ready for the Journey

Whether it’s a  visit to someone else’s home for a festival or celebration, or a fortnight’s summer holiday, when the whole family goes away, it’s a major planning exercise to make sure that nothing gets overlooked, and that everyone has all they will need ... even if only for a long weekend.

Life itself is a journey, of course; and my life-journey is passing a significant crossroads just now.  I’m retiring from my career as a courier and life is entering a new phase, one of a little more leisure, a little less discipline, and hopefully a bit more enjoyment ... that’s not to say that it’s been devoid of enjoyment thus far, of course.  This new phase of life will bring with it a little less financial security, and also the need for a degree more self-discipline if the days are not to flutter by in a haze of non-achievement, and a sense of purpose to make it all worthwhile.  And, with a motor-caravan parked outside, there will hopefully be some travel as well.

Naturally, the Bible has much advice about journeys - my concordance offers over 80 references to just the word ‘journey’, without other related words like ‘travel’, ‘go’, ‘pass’, and so on.  Many of these are in the Old Testament, and are connected with the Israelites’ wanderings in the desert.  One in particular caught my eye.  We are reminded that they were God’s chosen people, whom he loved and looked after, when we read, “I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20).  No dodgy SatNav for them; no risk of landslides or falling bridges; and those blessings are ours too, for we now understand that He loves us all, when we put our trust in Him.

One thing that is essential, whether we travel in car or on foot, is to make sure that we eat properly.  This may mean taking sandwiches and a flask; it may mean making sure that there is a service station en route; it could be as simple as having a decent breakfast before setting out.  Many a disaster is caused by feeling faint, tired or weary when travelling.  Elijah was exhausted and thoroughly demoralised after his run-in with the prophets of Baal.  During his flight, he slept under a bush, and was woken by an angel, who said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (I Kings 19:7).  The angel had provided food and drink for him.

When Ezra was about to lead the Israelites from exile back to Jerusalem, he called them all together by the canal before setting out, “... so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.” (Ezra 8:21).  If we are setting out on a long journey, especially one that is dangerous or that has a special purpose, do we begin it with prayer?  If not, can we say why not?

One of the delights of travel, and one that I shall miss in my retirement, is seeing the rich variety of all that this world has to offer, even in this island of Britain on which I live.  Isaiah (ch.42, v.5) reminds us that the Lord is “the creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.”  

What more do we need, to make our journey worthwhile?

Breaking up

It may have been a poor signal, or some kind of interference.  The woman I was talking to on my mobile phone said, ‘You’re breaking up’.  A few days later I rang her again, and the response was the same.  Her words were a kind of 'shorthand'; what she meant was simply ‘I can’t hear you’, or ‘the signal is intermittent’.  I was intrigued by this form of words, and began thinking about them a slightly different way.

When you’re speaking on the phone, you are communicating with someone.  They think of the person they’re listening to, not specifically your voice, or the electronic apparatus that brings your words to them.  To the man or woman at the other end of the line, you and your voice and the words you speak are one entity.  Let’s take it a stage further.  The words you speak - unless you are making a joke - usually reflect what you think or believe.  At least, it’s reasonable to expect that the people you talk to will take it as such.

And that’s what is important.  How well the other party understands your communication determines how well they will know you.  You and your words are one to them.  We must be careful to ensure that what we say to others reflects what we really hold dear … all the time.  Look at James 3:5-12 and Ephesians 4:29 to see even more clearly how vital this is.

So complete was Jesus’ humanity that, as he hung on the Cross, He too seemed to experience this ‘breaking up’ phenomenon.  He bore in His body the pain and agony of execution, and in His heart the injustice that it wasn’t for any wrong that He had done.  Did it appear to Jesus as He quoted words from Psalm 22: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” that His prayers weren’t getting through to His heavenly Father?

There are times when we all feel like that.  Our prayers don’t seem to be answered.  It’s at such times that we have to trust others.  Usually in our most desperate situations there are others who are praying for us - or who would do so if only we were bold enough to ask them - and their prayers will bear us up.  Another aspect of trust is encapsulated in that famous rhyme Footprints: “You could only see one pair of footprints during the bad times, because that was when I was carrying you!” 

If at times you feel that God’s voice is ‘breaking up’, try to remember that He is still there.  Think of Jesus’ words, “I am with you always - to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).