"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them...for those who fear Him lack nothing." Psalm 34:7, 9
There's a unique vulnerability which surrounds camping.
Maybe this is due to the act of packing up, leaving what's familiar and going into unknown territory. Questions linger. Will we get lost? Will the trailer hitch hold as we drive? Are there bears in those woods?
The foods stored in a cooler and cooked on a rudimentary stove always taste differently. Neighbors come and go; some are agreeable while others not so much. The crackling campfire casts its embers skyward beneath a canopy of stars not seen in the city, while crickets strum a lullaby beneath the pines.
Living the Christian life is much like camping. When a sinner repents, he leaves his life of sin, picks up his cross daily and follows Jesus into the unknown (Luke 9:23). Now the camper has hitched his trailer to the King and heads out, walking by faith and not by sight. The Bible is his map, the Holy Spirit his GPS.
He's like Abraham who,"when called to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he didn't know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11: 8-10)
The trappings of this world now seem like rubbish to the camper when compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, for whose sake he has lost all things, as did the Apostle Paul (see Philippians 3: 7-9). There is a certain vulnerability in leaving one's former life behind, but oh, the joys of life on the road with Jesus, who encamps around those who fear Him.
Count the cost before hitting the road. The rich young man who approached Jesus had asked Him what he must do to get eternal life. He had followed all the commandments, but he wasn't willing to follow the Commander, who had required that he sell his possessions and follow Him. "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." (Matthew 19:22) He didn't want to go camping, I guess.
As for me, I'd rather gaze at the One who made the stars, listening to the crickets together in the warmth of the fire He has made, than to gain all the temporary riches of this world.
I wonder where He'll lead me today?
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?'" Matthew 16: 24-26
