Journey On (the road that leads home)

When the Israelites had been freed from their bondage in Egypt, and after wandering in the desert for forty years, it was time for God to take them into a new promised land. But, in those forty years of wandering in the dessert, the elders all died and the young who had lived their whole lives in the dessert were the ones left to go on this journey into the promised land. Moses spoke to Joshua, their new leader, and gave him all the instructions from the Lord for his chosen people. Because you see Moses couldn’t go into the land with them. No, only the new generation would enter this new land. I can only imagine that these young men and woman must have had some uneasiness about what was ahead for them. They must have wondered how life would be once they stepped out in their journey to possess the promised land. I am sure they thought it was a wonderful blessing to be led by God, but I am also sure many had doubts and fears.

But God told them to be strong, courageous, and not discouraged or afraid because he would be with them wherever they went.

Why scared?

Scared that if we would go back to Michigan, I would just fall back into our old habits.

Could we take what we had learned from our time in Lancaster and apply it to our lives in Michigan?

Would we be able to find a place to rent again?

Would we just go back to the same life we were living before we left Michigan?

I like this new confident husband. I like the leader he had become. I like the lifestyle in Lancaster. I liked that more people in our community lived a simple, conservative life. I liked not feeling like an odd ball.

Those Israelites must have felt like real odd balls, as they walked around the walls of Jericho. They must have wanted to trust God with all their hearts and want to step out in faith. And they did. They did as their leader, Joshua instructed them. They had to trust Joshua, and the way they did that was by trusting that their God spoke to Joshua. So, like those Israelites. I found myself in a place where I had to trust my husband, even when I wasn’t sure, even when my feelings said differently. I found the only way I could place my trust in my husband, my leader, was to place my full trust in God.

Just like the Israelites.

So, like the Israelites, who returned to their forefathers promised land, I now have returned to my homeland (so to speak). The Israelites where completely changed from their time in Egypt and the dessert. I too am completely changed from my time away.

So, even though I don’t feel excited and overjoyed about my return. I do know that the Lord is in control and he leads us forward. I am not sure where exactly he has for us to call home yet. But, I know he will show Jeremy the best place for our family to continue to grow and serve the Lord with all our hearts, soul, and strength.

Today, as we look at a rental home in a new town. I trust God will make it clear if there is a place for us to serve and minister and grow here. I trust even if we make the wrong choice, God will do what he always does for those he loves. He will bring glory to himself and good to our lives.

So, we journey on.

• 

  Ginger has written: August 17, 2012 at 3:33 pm Reply

  Change can be so hard, even when it comes from God. Despite that, I love to look back on really hard times that I just could not imagine were from God and see how He had used them to move us to better places in our lives, spiritually and physically. I am excited for you to be closer to family again!
• 

  Katherine Hirn has written: August 22, 2012 at 12:27 am Reply

  Thanks Ginger,
  I am glad to be back near my MI family and friends too. I am sort of shocked at how angry I can be at times about the move back. But, I think god is working to teach me some new thigns.