Journey. A very interesting term. Journey simply means, traveling from one place to another. Every living thing on earth (land, air, and water), in one way or other, has taken a journey in their lives. Ever since man was created, man traveled from place to place. There are short journeys and long journeys; there are official trips or personal trips or even leisure trips. No matter the type, all these trips are intended to accomplish a goal. Very rarely do people go on a journey without any purpose or reason. Ultimately, knowingly or unknowingly, there is a mission to be accomplished at the end of one’s trip. The slogan we can derive is this – as the journey begins, the mission begins too.
There are numerous examples of short and long journeys recorded in the Bible. Starting from Adam and Eve, who were sent out of the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience to God’s commands, there are numerous names to be noted like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Joseph (to Egypt as a slave), Jacob and his family’s migration to Egypt, Moses’ journey from Egypt to Midian and from Midian to Egypt, the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, David running for his life, the Old Testament prophets traveling to different places, Jesus and His disciples travelling from place to place for ministry, and so many more. Abraham started his journey, recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, after hearing the voice of God. As a result, Isaac and Jacob also heard the voice of God as they became part that journey. God, very specifically, commanded Abraham to take a journey from his hometown of Ur to a distant place God would show him, which was Canaan. Abraham obeyed God’s commands and started his journey, even though he did not know to where he is heading at that point in time. When Abraham arrived in Canaan, God told him that He will give this land to his descendants as an inheritance. Abraham believed the promise of God and built an altar there to worship God (Genesis 11:27-12:7). Later, he built an altar between Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord and worshipped Him (Genesis 12:8-9). Abraham continued his journey to various other places beyond Canaan like Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20), Negev (Genesis 20:1), and also to Gerar (Genesis 20:2). Similarly, Isaac and Jacob moved from one place to another. When we study the life of Jacob, we can see that he might be the one who moved the most from place to place. For instance, he spent his childhood in Beersheba (Canaan), as a young man he travelled to Paddan-Aram to escape from his brother’s (Esau) fierce anger, he returned to Canaan along with his wives and children after more than 20 years in Paddan-Aram, and during his old age he travelled to Egypt with his entire household to unite with Joseph (his eleventh son whom he loved the most but lost at the age of seventeen). Although, Jacob and his sons along with their entire family went down to Egypt and his descendants settled down there for more than 400 years, it was not their inheritance. At the end of all of these journeys, God brought the descendants of Abraham (the children of Israel) back to the promised land (Canaan) and gave them the land as inheritance to fulfill His promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:12-16. Thus, God blessed the journeys of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Children of Israel because they trusted God and obeyed Him.
In the modern world, with the advantage of advanced land, sea, and air transportation facilities and career opportunities around the world, people travel cross-culturally a lot – locally, nationally, internationally and inter-continentally. As the Old Testament saints and, thereafter, the New Testament saints trusted God and in His promises when they travelled from place to place, let us also trust in the Lord and in His promises as we travel from one place to another. I believe, without a doubt, that God will make our journeys happy and blessed for His glory. Although there are so many verses regarding this in the Bible, below is a selection Bible verses to read and meditate upon as we trust and obey God when we taking journeys in life to various destinations.
Verses for Meditation
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you
Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives
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, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people
In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace
The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, 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
You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared
A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I will remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;” and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End
