Read: 1Samuel 20:1-21:15, John 9:1-41, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 15:15-17

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high.
Psalm 113:4-5

Relate: There are few joys in life as fulfilling for me as going on a long walk. There’s something about a good hike that takes the entire day or even more. Starting out at the base and then getting to the top of a mountain and looking out and seeing the beauty and the majesty of God’s creation is something all of us need to do at least once or twice in our lifetime. Walking is also a good way to keep in perspective how small we are and how big this world. This past summer I walked uphill from Trabzon to Sumela Monastery and then back. It was about 40 kilometers uphill to get there and I walked roughly 25 coming back before the driver of one of the many shuttles stopped and refused to continue until I got on. Apparently, I must have looked like I was in worse shape than I felt. A couple summers back I did a walk from Antalya to Isparta. I was planning to walk Paul’s first missionary journey (about 750 km but only going one way. He did a return trip as well), but I sprained my ankle fairly early on and could not finish. The 140km I did was only about a fifth of the full trip. Prior to moving to Turkey, I think that the longest I have ever walked in one trip was from Clay to Oswego NY. We’re talking just under 26 miles. Like this summer, I can only imagine how exhausted I looked as I neared my completion. I remember a cop stopping as I was passing through Fulton and offering me a ride. People walk around Fulton all the time, how bad must I have looked for him to spot me out and offer? How stupid was I not to say yes?

With that trip in mind, things like The Goliath Expedition simply blow my mind. In 1998 Karl Bushby began walking in Punta Arenas, Chile. He headed north through Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the US, and Canada. In March, 8 years later, the crossed a frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Russia. Weather, funding, and Visa issues have stalled them for extended periods of time. The original plan was to be done by 2012 but Russia has banned him from the country for 5 years because of numerous border violations. The ban was appealed, he has resumed his trip and I believe by now him and those who have chosen to join him on this trek are somewhere in Mongolia.

React: How many people has Karl met on this journey? How many cultures? How many languages? How much of the beauty of God’s creation, how many of God’s treasures, His people, has he met? In a journey that would have taken fourteen years barring legal trouble, he has briefly passed through a tiny portion of the places on this small globe. Being omnipresent, God is at all these places and more… always. A very tiny portion of the 7+ billion people on this planet know of Karl Bushby and, deservedly, respect him for this Goliath endeavor. One day every one of those 7 billion, as well as all who have come before and who are yet to come will bow before our Lord. Who am I compared to our Lord who is enthroned on high?

Respond:

Dear God,
Who can compare to You? Even all of us, with all our combined power, greatness, and wealth is nothing compared to You. The fact that You would set aside all Your greatness and splendor to come and walk with us, to come and walk with me, is mind-blowing. The fact that You would consider me worth giving Your all for… it is incomprehensible. I am awestruck. The only response I can have is to give my everything back to You. One day every knee will bow to You. I chose to do so now. For You alone are worthy.
Amen