by Mike Lucero

In 2004 my wife and I packed our bags, said goodbye to family and friends, and moved to Indonesia for two years. We experienced all the emotions you would expect; sadness, excitement, joy, hope, encouragement.

In 2006 we again packed our bags, said goodbye to friends and adopted family, and moved back to the States, feeling many of the same emotions. It was an interesting role reversal to be moving back to one’s home country. We had found a home and family in Indonesia and in reality we felt at least as much uncertainty, if not more, upon our return.

During our time in Indonesia, both of us believed God was calling me to attend medical school. So upon our return, I planned to begin taking med school prerequisites while my wife, Katie, would work. The transition proved to be difficult for both of us. Having spent two years in close proximity to each other, we had to adjust to much less time together. In Indonesia we lived less than a mile from the school where we taught; Katie now had to drive over an hour one way to work.

Needless to say, from the moment we began this journey, we had doubts about whether it was the right way to go. We couldn’t deny, however, that God had clearly led us here. And so we waited, and prayed for direction. God was not quick in answering and after a year and a half of waiting we were more uncertain than when we began.

Throughout this time I began to be very frustrated with God. Why was He not giving us the clear direction we needed? Perhaps, I thought, I was not truly seeking His will. Maybe if I spent more time in prayer and read scripture more diligently then He would reveal Himself. And so I did just that...yet God still seemed distant.

One evening, as I was getting ready for bed a thought came to me. Throughout the Psalms, the author speaks of “crying out” to the Lord. From the depths (Psalm 130:1), evening, morning, and noon (Psalm 55:17) the psalmist cries out and the Lord hears him. However, it doesn’t say “O Lord, I read my Bible, I prayed three times a day, I’m faultless, and so now I cry out!”

I realized that I had been treating God kind of like a vending machine...put in your prayers and petitions and out comes a nice cold can of answers. It struck me that God doesn’t work like that - He hears me regardless of what I have (or have not) done for Him. Our cries had not fallen on deaf ears.

As we look to the future, we believe that God is calling us to return to Indonesia to teach. Looking back on the past year and a half, there has been no “burning bush” moment for us, but rather many small nudges in that direction. Not only has God given us affirmation of this desire through the encouragement of friends and family, but He has also given me a peace about letting go of a medical career.

Much about our future remains uncertain. We have become sure, however, that regardless of where we end up, God will always hear our cries.