Devotional written by regan crawford
I wrote the devotional for the second mission trip I went on. It was very intimidating, but when I was asked it felt like a big step outside my comfort zone — which to me is a good thing!
But I learned something by doing that; while it would be easy to just wait until the day of the trip to let God prepare me or start working in my heart, God had other intentions. So I want to encourage you, if you’re preparing yourself for a mission trip (or anything really), to take time with the Lord and ask Him to prepare you for what He has in store.
“Be strong and determined, confident and courageous. Do not be afraid of anything! The Lord, your God, is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or leave you.”
| Deuteronomy 31:6
An inevitable part of travel is packing. Now packing is a strategy, but it’s one that is harder for some than for others (especially with women!). We can sometimes not know what to pack, so we just decide to bring it all. We pack our clothes (more than we could ever wear), we pack our toiletries (can’t forget our straightening iron), we pack that extra phone charger (just in case the other one breaks), we pack books (in case we get bored), we pack movies (for our down time), we pack food (no, I’m not sharing), we pack sunscreen, we pack our special lotion (gotta smell nice), we pack our medication (ibuprofen, anyone?), we pack bandaids, we pack laundry sheets, we pack blankets. We try and bring every little piece of home with us that we might possibly need, but in doing that we miss the point of travelling.
Why are we even leaving our homes if we want every piece of home with us?
The bible has many stories about travelling. Jesus Himself was a big traveller, He wandered all over Galilee and Jerusalem. In fact, it is estimated that during the three years of His ministry, Jesus walked over 3,000 miles (Wellman, 2015). He spent more time travelling than He spent at home. His travelling is where most of His ministry took place. One of the few occasions Jesus tried to minister in His hometown, the book of Luke records that the people there became so furious with Him that they drove Him out of town (and tried to throw Him off a cliff on the way). This wasn’t the first time Jesus was rejected when trying to do God’s will, but it’s recorded that, in response to this rejection, Jesus simply “walked right through the crowd and went on His way.” (Luke 4:30). On His journeys is where He taught, He healed, He performed miracles, He loved others, and did so much more. I think it’s safe to say that Jesus might be an expert traveller!
So what did this expert traveller take with Him on all of these journeys? He took His friends; He took the clothes on His back; He took the Word. Beyond that? He brought nothing. In each place He traveled, He relied on God to provide a way to give Him everything needed. One parable from the gospels is that of the rich, young ruler. A man comes to Jesus, and asks Him how to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22). In Mark, when Jesus calls the disciples, He says to them, “Don’t be afraid.”. The disciples pulled their boats, left everything they had (and everyone), and followed Him. That’s how their journey began.
One of the things Jesus demonstrates repeatedly throughout His ministry is that He didn’t need to bring everything with Him; He knew the Lord would provide all that He needed. He didn’t worry about what shoes to wear or what robes would look best. His mission was to spread the Word and obey God.
So as you think about every item you put in your suitcase, just keep in mind that God will provide; you’re not going on this mission alone. I think Jesus said it best: “But seek His kingdom, and these things [food, clothes, water, shelter] will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:31).
When we go to serve, our mission is to seek God. Our mission isn’t to impress people. We aren’t there to try and be the best or do the most. Our mission is to seek God first and allow God to guide our steps.
Reflect:
What are you seeking in this trip?
Challenge:
Start each day until you leave praying that God will prepare you for His purpose on this mission, and then let God prepare you by reading the Word, every day (even if it’s just a verse).
