You don't have to come back. You just have to go.

The following story is told by Nik Ripken in his book, The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected. It is a compelling reminder of what it looks like to follow Christ without reservation. Nik writes:

Many of the stories that I heard in Russia celebrated God’s faithfulness and provision. One pastor was arrested and placed in prison, while his wife and children were sent to live (or die) in Siberia. 

One wintry night in their remote, dilapidated wooden cabin which now served as their home, the three children divided their family’s last crust of bread, and drank the last cup of tea in the house before climbing into bed still hungry. Kneeling to say their prayers, they asked, “Where are we going to get some more food, Mama? We’re hungry! Do you think Papa even knows where we live now?” Their mother assured them their heavenly Father knew where they lived. For now, He was the one who would have to provide. They prayed and asked for God’s provision. 

Thirty kilometers away, in the middle of the night, God woke up the deacon of a church and instructed him, “Get out of bed. Harness your horse, hitch the horse to the sled, load up all the extra vegetables that the church has harvested, the meat, and the other food that the congregation has collected, and take it to that pastor’s family living outside the village. They are hungry!” 

The deacon said, “But, Lord, I can’t do that! It’s below zero outside. My horse might freeze and I might freeze!” 

The Holy Spirit told him, “You must go! The pastor’s family is in trouble!”

The man argued, “Lord, you’ve got to know that there are wolves everywhere. They could eat my horse and if they do, they’ll then eat me! I’ll never make it back.” 

But the deacon said that the Holy Spirit told him, “You don’t have to come back. You just have to go.” 

So he did. 

When he knocked loudly on the door of that rickety cabin in the pre-dawn darkness the next morning, the banging must have terrified the mother and her children. But imagine their joy and amazement when they fearfully, hesitantly opened the cabin door to find one very small, very cold member of the Body of Christ standing on their front step. His food-laden sleigh was behind him. He held a huge sack and announced, “Our church collected this food for you. Be fed. When this runs out, I’ll bring more.” 

Long after I heard that story, I kept thinking about God’s final instruction to the deacon: “You just have to go.” 

You don’t have to come back. You just have to go. 

As it turns out, he did come back. Even so, the instruction is so clear. You just have to go. You just have to go. Even if there is no clarity about your return, you just have to go. 

The memory of that deacon’s courageous obedience lives on in his story. The story has been told by his family for generations. And the story is also told by the extended family of those who were saved by his gift. The story celebrates one man’s obedience and God’s miraculous provision.

Ripken, Nik; Lewis, Gregg (2013-12-02). The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected (pp. 165-167). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.