Travel to the Glory of God
Last year, I was excited to make a first-ever trip to the Middle East to teach and encourage Christian global workers. On my flight back, all I could think about was being home with my wife and three kids. Being away from home made me appreciate it more.
Yet it wasn’t long after I returned home that I began devising the next trip.
Why did my heart so quickly pivot from “I want to be home” to “I want another adventure?” For me, it is because the allure of travel is strong. I’m drawn in by YouTube and Instagram shots of the world’s beauty and diversity. My passport’s empty pages are crying out to be stamped.
I’m not the only one. Though half of Americans have never owned a passport, most (76%) want to travel more than they do. Transportation is cheaper and easier than ever, making short-term international travel an option for entertainment, escape, and fulfillment in a way it never could be in any century before ours.
This presents Christians with a new question: Since we are commanded in Scripture to do all things “to the glory of God,” what does it look like for Christians to travel internationally to the glory of God? Is international travel a sinful extravagance, or a God-given way to learn, grow, and evangelize?
While the Bible cautions us against viewing travel as an end in itself, Scripture also paints a picture of how to travel internationally to the glory of God: By treating it as a privilege, an education, and a mission all at the same time.
Travel as Mission
Tourism is not a common theme in Scripture. Except for long-term missions, travel is often depicted negatively in the Bible—this includes forced relocation (e.g. Egypt, Babylon) and banishment (e.g. Cain cursed to wander, cities of refuge).
In the ancient world, travel of any kind was dangerous. The rich business class risked travel for trade and profit, but Scripture is skeptical about this kind of travel. The Apostle James wrote that the rich will “fade away in the midst of [their] pursuits” like a fading flower in the scorching heat. “Pursuits” can also be translated “travels.” James, critiquing the heartless practices of the rich, highlights the fleeting nature of their wealth-enabled travel. The rich person, boasting in their wealth and busily traveling for the next business deal—seemingly exalted—will actually fade away like a sun-scorched flower.
If this is the Bible’s depiction of travel, is our wanderlust a sign of sinful discontentment?
Not necessarily. While the Bible generally depicts travel negatively, Christians are called to be globally minded for the purpose of mission. Our creation mandate is to fill the earth and subdue it, feats which require travel (Gen 1:28). Jesus commands his disciples to be his witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This Great Commission in Acts 1:8 describes concentric circles that widen ever broader, encompassing the entire earth as the church’s mission field.
Therefore, long-term missions (and short-term missions which truly help long-term missions) are biblical reasons to travel. And even if our travel isn’t directly related to mission, we’re called to be witnesses wherever we find ourselves. This means that as we travel, we should travel as those called to spread the good news and strengthen local churches as bases of evangelism. Christians should therefore view all travel as an opportunity for mission.
What might this look like?
Find a local church to attend on Sundays abroad. Even better, reach out to the church ahead of time to see how you might encourage them while you’re in town.
See if your church has connections in the places you’re traveling. You might find a supported missionary near your destination whom you could encourage with a visit (or bring a local ingredient or publication).
If possible, try planning leisure travel around mission locations your church supports, both to encourage supported missionaries and learn about the work they’re doing.
Share the hope of Jesus Christ with those whom you have meaningful interaction with on your trip, pointing them to local, healthy churches if you find receptive hearts.
Travel as Education
Traveling to the glory of God also looks like traveling for education. Christians are called to steward the earth and spread the Gospel to all people, two tasks helped by understanding cultures beyond our borders.
There is also intrinsic value in learning about the beauty and diversity of God’s image as expressed through different people and cultures. One of the most surprising things about visiting churches in Iraq was seeing how seriously Iraqi Christians take studying the Bible. They’d spend hours looking into a short text, turning it over and examining it from all angles in a conversation, and were willing to delay a meal for hours to make room for a fuller understanding of God’s word. Seeing their commitment to Scripture convicted me in my relative complacency, reminding me to truly gaze at the beauty of God’s word rather than jumping hastily to application.
All models of education are global. All American students study music and art from Western Europe, algebra from the Middle East, philosophy from Greece, and history and geography from every continent. Charlotte Mason, a Christian educator, wrote that the unique value in studying geography is “its fitness to nourish the mind with ideas, and to furnishing the imagination with pictures.” A global education broadens our understanding of God’s creation, God’s providential work in history, and the breadth of God’s image in mankind. International travel is an extension of a global education, especially if we pay attention to God’s work and God’s people as we travel.
What might this look like?
Have meaningful conversation with locals, especially Christians. Ask them what their biggest joys and concerns are, what kind of help their churches need, and how you can pray for them. Meaningfully learning a culture requires leaving the resort and breaking bread with locals.
Learn about the history of the church at your destination. There might even be museums or tours focusing on that topic.
Visit a church service in the local language. International English-speaking churches allow for more easier participation, but tend to reflect the culture back home. You might be surprised at a local language church how the liturgy feels familiar, or you might find a kind local willing to translate during the service. 9 Marks and the Gospel Coalition both have church directories that may help you find a like-minded church at your destination.
Travel as a Privilege
Finally, international travel to the glory of God means treating travel as a privilege. The time, expense, and risk involved in traveling outside of one’s home country has made it out of reach for almost everyone in world history. And while transportation is cheaper and easier today than ever, international travel is still too expensive for much of the world’s people.
In Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, God speaks to the rich, which includes almost everyone in America by global and historical standards:
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
Paul tells Timothy to “charge” (or command) the rich to put their focus and hope in God, the true giver, not wealth and all the things it purports to give us (travel included). The rich are to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share when opportunities arise. That means if we lock up all our disposable income in regular international trips, we crowd out giving opportunities.
If a Christian brother or sister spent thousands of dollars on a new, top-of-the-line TV year after year, we’d likely be justified in wondering if their purchases were a sinful extravagance. Who needs a new TV every year? We might ask the same question about a yearly international vacation.
There is no one-size-fits-all application of Paul’s charge in 1 Timothy—it will vary by individual and family. Our budgets are different, our proximity to family is different, and our levels of generosity are different. The budget of some families may make international travel completely out of reach. But for those who are tempted to idolize travel (whether you travel much or don’t) or spend much of their discretionary money on it, Paul’s charge serves as a caution to put our hope in the riches of Christ and not the riches of this world’s experiences.
Empty Adventure
When we travel, we can travel to the glory of God by treating it as a mission, an education, and a privilege. But God designed us for stable community in the local church. Sometimes the “travel bug” can be a sign of discontentment with the local relationships God has called us to, the beauty of his creation in the people at home, and the adventure he has called us to in fighting sin and participating in his plan of redemption.
In Christianity Today’s interview with Peter Grier, author of Travel: In Tandem with God’s Heart, Peter recounted the story of a friend who found emptiness in the midst of a traveling adventure:
“My friend who cycled the world found, even after networking extensively and making stops with lots of friends along the way, that his journey was probably the loneliest experience of his life. And one thing he said it taught him was the value of people who invest themselves in others’ lives in deep ways, more than just an hour on Sunday morning. And so he’s really bedded down for life in Ireland now, rather than yearning after more adventure.”
God is the true source of delight, adventure, and fulfillment. If we can’t find those things in our local communities, we aren’t likely to find them elsewhere no matter how many stamps our passports have.
