On July 1, 2017 Leah and I took off on our Harley Davidson motorcycle. We’d planned a 6,000 mile trip around the United States. I’m a bit more of the motorcycle enthusiast, so to say it was all I focused on for months prior was an understatement.
Our weeks of planning and mapping out routes for hotels, restaurants, visiting landmarks and seeing friends kept our focus zeroed in on the road trip around America.
Leah and I pray together daily. Unfortunately, we get rushed and allow a day or so to pass before we reconnect in prayer. We confess that we both sense the ache in our souls when we miss that connection with each other through Christ.
One promise we committed to was that while on the road, daily prayer was a priority. It was our time on the road and we’d be isolated from work and responsibility. Therefore, not praying was not an option.
The morning we were set to head out, I led us in prayer. My prayers usually start out with thanking God for the many blessings, and then move to praying for others. I continued to pray as God moved and directed my words.
That morning as I prayed for our travel safety, the scenery and enjoyment of the trip, His word stopped me, and I waited on it. It was crystal clear.
Talk about a shift in perspective. I’d thought only of the open road adventures. Crossing deserts, climbing the summits of mountains, traversing the winding swings of crystal lakes and motoring along an endless black ribbon highway around the country.
God’s word was unmistakable. “This is about me.”
Throughout that day I wondered just what He meant that it was about Him. Of course what we do, we do to honor Him, but the words were so precise, I could only think about what God meant. I also worried that I’d miss what He meant. I didn’t want to disappoint Him.
Each day that followed, our prayers became more intimate and specific. It became clear to us after about the third day that this cross country motorcycle adventure was in fact all about Him.
God revealed that this was a prayer revival with motorcycle rides in between. But there was no mistake to be made, this was about pressing into Him through prayer and meditation on His word.
It’s also predictable that satan will do anything to detract us from God’s loving will. Big surprise, right?
I knew so deeply that this trip was about a prayer revival once satan’s interference set in over the course of the many hours of silent travel along the hundreds of highway miles. I never doubted God’s word, but it was an opportunity to practice what I know is God’s truth about defeating the devil in the name of Jesus Christ.
As the weeks continued, Leah and I received God’s word about our marriage, our future and our service for His kingdom.
It can be overwhelming, if not intimidating. After all, once God shares His word, it’s kind of hard to ignore it or decide to do something else.
While we were still enthralled with the sights and experiences on the open road, Leah and I talked less about the ride and more about our relationship with God and each other.
Early 2017 had been a tough time for us. There were several unexpected exterior factors that reared an ugly head as well as issues she and I had not resolved in our still new marriage.
The first half of the year had focused on our understanding, resolving and healing. This trip was also revealed to be a much needed marriage retreat. While Leah and I are very close, we knew there was a depth we needed to achieve in God’s will. This allowed for us to experience God in a very real and active environment.
Each day God would place a word in my heart during prayers. We soon realized that what He was doing was weaving parts of the complete story of our lives each day. It was a beautiful experience.
It’s easy to miss God’s word for our life when we remain focused on things of this world. Leah and I were blessed to have been placed in a social vacuum for a period of three weeks.
It was in that time alone that we heard God’s word for us. The miracle we experienced was that while we anticipated an extreme cross country motorcycle adventure, God knew it would instead be a prayer revival and marriage retreat. He was patiently waiting for us to realize it also.
At God’s lead, I started a men’s outreach a few months ago called Brick Breakers. The focus is to encourage men to be the men God called us to be. I regularly encourage men to begin praying with their wife. I know this has changed our lives once Leah and I began last year. This trip was a fruit of that labor.
While you don’t have to run off on a Harley Davidson to hear God’s word, you must seek His will through prayer. If you don’t pray with your spouse, please begin immediately. God has a word for you.
God Bless You,
Scott