What is the furthest you have ever travelled? Have you been to the Moon, to the stars, to the galactic regions, or to the heavenlies perhaps? Have you travelled across continents and met with peoples of another cultures? But even if you’ve mostly stayed at home in your own country, town or city, you will still have made many journeys: emotional journeys, relationship journeys, career journeys, financial journeys and journeys of the mind. Whether we have travelled extensively across the globe or not, we all make a variety of expeditions throughout our lives, some short, others long. Trips that might have proved treacherous, magnificent, expensive or life transforming. In fact, the whole of life is one long journey from beginning to end, starting with our first breath or before, as Psalm 139:13-16 and Job 10:10 tell us.

The Moon: serious travelling

Our life journey starts with thousands of sperm being released. In search of an egg, these hordes are on a frantic search for their destination. Once one has successfully arrived, a new journey begins of formation and growth until the person fully formed is ready for the next adventure –the journey of birth. From conception onwards we see a picture of one journey leading to the next right through the various stages of life. In the same way, our journey of faith involves stages of life and growth. Through each we are changed from one degree of glory to another

En route to a Destination
Journeys are concerned with moving from one place to another and in reaching a destination. The purpose of our travels is always to arrive at a destination, to have moved position. The process of the journey is however, a totally different matter; which can involve many factors: delays, detours, diversions, frustration, familiarity, monotony, weariness, discomfort, and eventual joy on arrival at the desired destination.

Anyone who has travelled from A to B will have also experienced a variety of human encounters along the way. Just who you travel with has an amazing impact on your journey. Travelling companions can make your trip fun, exciting and productive or they can make it frustrating and laborious. Scripture warns us to choose carefully who we travel with through life, for: “How can two walk together unless they agree together.”

You and Me Together
Hebrews chapter 11 tells us how the saints who have gone before wait for us in order to get their full reward. We are on a corporate, as well as an individual journey, ‘time-travelling’ on a road of faith that spans histories and cultures and takes in every generation of believers on the way. And somehow, as we go, God wonderfully manages to weave together our individual and corporate paths to bring about His ultimate purpose.

This corporate journey began with Abraham, the father of the faithful, who began a pilgrimage that we continue. With Sarah, he set out to look for a city whose builder and maker was God. We, his descendants through Christ, are still a part of his quest, we are on a journey towards the glorious City of God, a ‘people-city’ that will be the talk of the whole world. Kings will be drawn to her, and the wealth of all the nations brought to her. This will be a City of which glorious things are spoken!

This glorious abode is the Church, through whom the manifest wisdom of God will be shown to the heavenly realms. (See Ephesians 3:10). It will be a vibrant place, full of life, and a place of excellence where righteousness and justice shine. So, as people of faith, we continue to travel towards this beautiful City and can take no rest until we see this new Jerusalem established.

Taking in the sights
All journeys require preparation –both mental and physical. Are you fully prepared for all the eventualities on yours as you travel through life? Will you stop to take in the ‘sights’ along the way, or are you only interested in the final destination?

“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How much further? Can we stop for a bit?” If you have travelled with children you will surely recognize these cries, but I find it is not only children who long to get there. We adults get so impatient with what God is doing. Do you just have the end view in sight, or are you looking to see what is being worked into your life along the way?

We need to take time to wait and look at what He is doing. Don’t miss the intricate weaving of God in your life, because you are in such a hurry to reach your destination.

However, we are not just here to get to the end of each situation, but to see righteousness and justice produced, to see His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Our mandate is not just to see our own lives changed, but to see others redeemed, to see hope, and deliverance come, just as Jesus said His mission was. (See Isaiah chapter 61). We are here to set the captives free. So, what will your epitaph say? “Here lies John Smith who just passed through, intent on pursuing his own route,” or “Here lies John Smith who lived a full and passionate life, filled with compassion and zeal, affecting individuals, communities, nations and continents along the way.”

I know which epitaph I would prefer!

In Transit
Being on a journey speaks of moving from one place to another. Changes in us take place whilst we are in transit and these can become lasting transformations. Bonds are broken things separate and they change state or shape, vibration takes place. When things are heated up, for example, which is a type of physical transformation, more pressure is exerted, because more energy is being expended. Likewise pressure is often a force for transformation in our lives.

Your Personal Pilgrimage
Things are unstable when we are between stages or seasons of life. We’ve all experienced this. Times of change are difficult, but we have to hold on to the fact that the Lord is with us. He has promised never to leave us, to walk through every valley and high place with us and to bestow His blessing and grace upon us through it all…as we go.

Have you ever felt ‘in transition’? You know where you have been and you know you are moving, but it is still not clear what the future shape of things will be. Life holds many such uncomfortable seasons: changing jobs, starting university or college, finishing university, being made redundant, getting married, having children, losing a partner or a family member, moving house, moving location.

And, just when we think we have it all sewn up, when no real change looks likely on the horizon, a spanner is thrown into the works! Through it all we need to remember that change and transition are God’s tools in our lives not an accident. But, for Him to be able to change us from one degree of glory to another, we need to make a choice: we can both accept change and submit to its work in our lives or we can fight it.

Staying on Track There are obstacles to watch out for while on our journey as part of the Church (and particularly in times of transition). I call these obstacles giants, gremlins and grasshoppers. Diversions are a type of ‘G’. When they appear we need to find out where they came from. Is this diversion from the Lord for your instruction or have you simply wandered off the path? We are so often tempted to take a detour, to take a more picturesque route. Have you ever said: “Lord I don’t quite like this journey you have me on, it’s rather monotonous, we seem to be going endlessly around the same mountain. “ Stay on track! Delays and traffic jams can be either a minor or major irritation. But don't forget when it comes to your life, God is watching over His word and he will perform it. Don’t rush things and try to bring them about before it is time. Just as in planting a seed or a bulb, don’t go digging things up to see what is happening. Trust when you can’t see. And no traveller worth their salt would dream off setting off without proper maps, tools and proper provisions. So make sure you have good supplies for the journey, food, water and the map. The Word, the Sprit of God and a vision of the City will keep you focussed and on track and keep you able to deal with any gremlins, giants and grasshoppers that cross your path.

Staying on Track

Part of the Whole
Remember that you are a part of the corporate journey of the church. As you make your personal journey, it helps the whole move forward towards completing its journey. The Church is being transformed across the globe, in the nation, in the city, whilst on its journey to the Bridegroom. Great changes have already taken place. We have seen the restoration of many truths in history: baptism in water, baptism in the Holy Spirit, justification by faith, the restoration of apostolic and prophetic ministries, all have added and built on what went before. But we still need more change in order to become the pure and spotless bride of Christ without wrinkle or blemish that He longs for.

Attitudes that infect
So we need to watch out for giants, gremlins and grasshoppers while on our journey as part of the Church (and particularly in times of transition. Take the gremlin of self-promotion, for example. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves whether we place a higher value on the corporate good, that is the good of the Body of Christ, rather than on our own personal advancement. How much are we willing to deny ourselves? Have we received so much teaching on taking up personal responsibility (and thus receiving personal recognition), that we have forgotten our responsibility to the corporate, whatever the cost to our own ego or comfort. Jesus said: “He who follows me, should take up his cross and follow me…should be prepared to leave father and mother, brother and sister (representing the place of personal comfort) for my sake.

Grumbling is one gremlin attitude that frequently infects the Church, just as Achaean’s sin had an effect on the whole camp in Moses time. The sons of Korah spoke against their leadership and Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses. But the Word commands us to pray for our leaders and not to undermine them. On our journey we need to seek and work for the unity of the body. See Ephesians chapter 4:3, which encourages us to: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” Believe the best about one another and exercise mercy, mercy mercy! Opportunities for breaking bread also provide us with the opportunity to examine ourselves and repent if need be. We need to stay pure –grumbling potentially makes the whole body sick.

Other giants, gremlins or grasshoppers on the journey are irritations and familiarity. We need to beware of these in relation to those travelling with us. The Word of God teaches us to hold others with respect, not to think too highly of ourselves, to be humble, love mercy and remember that our actions and attitudes can affect the whole body.

A Journey Outward There is no doubt that the Church in the 21st Century is being shaken as it continues on the journey that started with Abraham. Hebrews chapter 12:26 tells us that only that of eternal value will endure. The Lord will complete His work. He will have a church that is glorious, in fact in eternity He already has! We are just on the journey towards Him and will undergo change and go through the shaking until what He wants to accomplish is complete. So, if like the psalmist, we too want to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, we need to be rid of our gremlins now! Romans chapter 8 tells us that all of creation is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed, so that it may be redeemed from its slavery to a fallen world. We move towards this as we look to see every joint of the Body supplying the whole, with people no longer making independent choices but acting from the kind of unity that brings a powerful anointing.

Abraham finished his journey

To act corporately doesn’t mean to be inward looking however. It is time for us to take some ground, by being aware of the ploys of the enemy and fighting off the gremlins. Like Paul our watchword needs to be” I am determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” If we focus inwardly, we will become introspective and live according to the letter of the law, which brings death. But if our focus is outward we will allow mercy to triumph over judgement and see life being birthed all around us. Our destiny from the beginning was to go into all the world, to fill it, subdue it and rule over it (Genesis chapter 1:28).

This is the ultimate purpose of your journey: To bring the Rule of God into the entire world. So, enjoy your adventure, fight off the gremlins along the way and take much ground for the Kingdom as you go!

Sandra Duffty  June 2004

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