Our Long Journey

“Every time they went around a bend in a river, they had a surprise in front of them.” These words, by scholar Stephen Ambrose, help us understand the perilous journey taken by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the western lands the U.S. had purchased from France in 1803, they knew they would travel down the Missouri River. Yet they knew little else about the journey before them.

Terrors began a few days after their departure from St. Louis on May 13, 1804. Lewis lost his footing and fell off a steep cliff, saved only by grabbing a small sapling on the hillside. As they travelled onward, the crew experienced many injuries and illnesses, and one man died. During the brutally cold winter, many suffered frostbite.

Resuming their journey, they were astonished at the beauty of Great Falls (in modern Montana). But it presented such obstacles that they also wondered how they could proceed, even doubting if they could reach their goal. But they persevered, even as they struggled to cross mountains and began running out of food.

Finally, on November 7, 1805, they arrived at the Pacific Ocean. It had taken a year and a half, but they had reached their goal.

These men could have reacted like the many Israelites who “grew impatient” with their long journey toward the Promised Land. They had to learn the importance of persistence, faith, and obedience.

Believers can face many types of problems. We easily can become discouraged or feel defeated. But the Bible reminds us why we always must move forward by faith, trusting God. As Paul wrote to Timothy, we must persevere (1 Timothy 4:16).

Today, though your journey may seem long and hazardous, you can persevere by trusting God and being confident in Him.