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Trust & Obey for there's no other Way

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Published: Monday, 21 August 2023 16:56
Written by Amber Join
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Around late June, I was invited by Sister Judith to join the Mount Murud trip. She said there is still one space for one more person. I was hesitant to go but my husband encouraged me to go, because he is keen to know what is the latest development since the Bario/Ba'kelalan revival many years ago. Furthermore, I felt this trip would be a good opportunity to get to know other TMC members and also to challenge myself to do something that will test my strength and physical abilities; beside also looking forward to get away from the daily chores at home and be able to spend some time with the Lord in Mount Murud. 
Though I had decided to go and my flight ticket had been booked, I still have lingering doubt whether I am able to embark on this arduous journey to climb Mount Murud due to my physical limitations and fear of the unknown. But when I attended the Thursday prayer meeting at TMC, I met Sister Brenda who is 78 years old and yet so motivated to go. She really literally inspired and encouraged me. I believe God planned for me to meet Sister Brenda to help me face my fear of the unknown although I didn’t speak to anyone about it.  
17th July 2023, we boarded a flight from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu which landed at 8am. A car was waiting for us to take us to Lawas, and from Lawas and thereafter to Bekalalan. The journey from Lawas to Bekalalan was really a challenge of endurance. Halfway on the journey, I had to ask the driver to stop because I couldn’t take it anymore. I vomited and had to rest my head for a while. My group understandably then asked me to sit in the front seat, which helps a lot. 
Praise the Lord we reached Ba'kelalan at around 7.30pm. Due to the challenging journey, I still felt a bit giddy and the urge to vomit. I told Judith that I may not able to climb up to Mount Murud tomorrow and apologized for disappointing her. Judith didn’t say much but said she leaves the decision to me and asked me to pray about it. Surprisingly, Sister Suzanna who had heard about my intention, came and approached me and asked whether I would be staying back in Ba'kelalan or not and that she would also like to stay back with me if I decided not to go up tomorrow morning. I felt relieved that I’m not alone in this struggle, and was thinking it is better to stay back at Ba'kelalan and spend time with the Lord in prayer. After all, my desire to climb Mount Murud was to spend time alone with God. 
Early in the morning, as usual I will read the daily verse of the day send to my KJV Apps. Praise the Lord, the verse for the day was so relevant to my struggles. It was 1 Peter 1:6,7 which says, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the TRIAL of your FAITH, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of JESUS CHRIST.
 After I finished reading the verse, and prayed, I said Lord, ”If you want my faith to be refined and tried, then let this journey teach me to learn obedience and submitting to your perfect will …so that through this trial, I may come out stronger in my faith and purified like ‘gold’. I decided to surrender to God my fear and doubt and just trust Him to take care of the unknown that was before me. Just when I had finished praying, Sister Suzanna came knocking on my door and asked “So, Amber, what is your decision?” I said Sister, God gave me the word that I have to go forth in faith. To my amazement Sister Suzanna didn’t reason with me, and said, “OK, we will go”. Oh, how I thank God that when we are in the same spirit in Christ, we just move forward together in faith without doubting. Praise God, I believe it is the best decision we both had make to obey the word of the LORD. 
During the climb, the path was very muddy, slippery, wet and difficult to walk and certain section was also very dangerous walk on. We couldn’t take a big step but only one small and slow step at a time to ensure our safety. We had to use a stick to confirm that the spot where we are going to step on was firm. Many times, my feet landed on a puddle of mud; as a result, I got wet and soggy feet which make continue walking very uncomfortable. The thoughts dawn upon me that it’s okay to get myself dirty and uncomfortable if I wanted to serve the LORD and that I should not allow inconveniences of life to bogged me down from moving forward for His kingdom. I also learned that as long as I put my feet on “Christ the solid rock”, I have nothing to fear and that He will carry me through it in whatever situation I may be in for His glory. I Praise God that my faith was strengthened after the journey to Mount Murud. Now I learned to see the impossible situations can become possible especially when one is faced with insurmountable challenges and struggles. 
Though I’m the slowest, I am truly grateful to all my brothers and sisters who didn’t leave me behind. When we reached Mount Murud, I regretted that I didn’t get to see and enjoy the magnificent view of God’s creation (though I saw it on the way back down) of Mount Linanit from a spot where it was said that Pak Agung, one of the spiritual giants of this place used to pray and pray and pray… until revival break forth amongst the villagers of Ba'kelalan. The reason being, I was told by the potter that the staircase way is very dangerous, risky and slippery, and that the potter’s path is much easier to traverse. The word ‘easier’ was very tempting which gave me a reason not to choose the ‘supposedly more difficult’ path, the staircase way. Upon reaching the church camp, I found out that those who took the staircase way had reached the camp earlier by an hour… a shorter journey. 
Our last night at Ba'kelalan before coming back home, we were asked to give a short testimony on what we had learned or experienced in Mount Murud. I praise God that through this trip to Mount Murud I obtained a greater understanding that God will carry me through ALL my trials if I just let him take the wheel of my life. After hearing each of my brothers and sisters’ testimony I see how much God cares for each of his ‘sparrow’. I believe He is speaking personally to each individual who are up there, who seek and wait for a word from Him. I praise God that He is a speaking God. It says in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near;” 
God is a faithful God and He is a God that never fail us. And He is a God that demands our obedience not sacrifice. As one godly person said “It costs you to obey God but it will cost you more not to.”. 
In the conference, we were reminded that God’s End Time is very near. This verse Luke 21:19 speaks to my heart, “In your PATIENCE possess ye your souls”. And in verse 36 it says “Watch ye therefore and Pray always”. Let us run this race patiently despite of whatever trials God allows them to come on our journey of faith. We who start it well, let us run FAITHFULLY this race and FINISH IT well for His Glory for “he that endureth to the end shall be saved”. (Matthew 10:22). May God help us. 
By an unworthy servant of Jesus Christ,
Sister Amber Join