“Is This The Way?”

“Is this the way?” “What’s the number of the train?”  

“What time does the bus leave? How long does it take to get there?”

On the road…again. Arriving in Thailand, we hit the ground running, never imagining how long we would be running, and constantly praying that it was in the right direction. 

We had been in Thailand for nine weeks and six of them had been on the road! We expected to be on the road for a bit but never anticipated that many weeks and we have yet several weeks of travel ahead of us. Everything is so different here. It isn’t like traveling in the US. In that traveling, we slept in 17 different places including floors, beds that made the floors inviting, and a train.

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light….” Exodus 13:21

We came from packing a trailer in Oregon with snow falling and record snow levels closing our path on Interstate 5 in northern and southern California, to the hottest month of the year in Thailand (105°F humidity). We were perplexed by the children’s health issues such as middle-of-the-night fevers and vomiting (later identified as heat stroke symptoms), incessant coughing (later identified by the poor air quality from field burning), and midnight scorpion stings. Most of our travels have been related to visa requirements including our sudden and unexpected trip to Laos and now one to Malaysia ahead. Traveling isn’t simple. Remember, there are six of us, one too many for a sedan and managing the amount of food these kids eat needs a Sherpa! In it all, we prayed, “Is this the way? Is this what we’re supposed to be doing?”

Doubt can easily enter the mind, especially in unfavorable circumstances: extreme heat, fatigue, exhaustion, both physical and emotional, concern for a child’s wellbeing, and a host of unknowns. “Is this the way?”

Back in 2011, by faith in the call of God, we left the known and familiar, we left our dreams and aspirations to know more of His love for us, following the providence of God! which we affectionately began calling our “Cloud” because we followed His leading like the Cloud that led Israel through the wilderness. This was the beginning of what we call our “Journey of Faith.” It was a wild journey that pushed our faith to the limit and rewarded us with joy we did not know existed.

“Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10

Over those years our faith was forged and the current part of our Journey of Faith is no different. It is in this furnace where that unimagined joy is discovered, created, and poured out. It is where we are closest to Jesus and come to know Him deeper. It is where the sweet oil of the Holy Spirit is received. Some would call it suffering—but I can’t say we’ve suffered because Jesus’ presence changes our circumstances to sweet experience with Him. That’s one way I’m finding to “count it all joy when you come into divers temptations”. 

We have followed our Cloud ever since because of that characteristic companionship and assurance of His companionship and faithfulness. That’s how we got here. It’s becoming the only thing we hold on to. Though the way may be challenging we can trust His leading.  

“Is this the way?” Yes. Guaranteed.  

Find your Cloud. Reflect on the way Jesus has led you. Look to Him and trust that He is leading you. It gets sweeter. The sweetness is the presence of Jesus.