What Is Really Holding Us Back from Going?

“We would go, but we can’t imagine sending our children to boarding school!”

That’s how my wife and I convinced ourselves that—despite the burden God had clearly laid on our hearts—we weren’t prepared to go and take the gospel to the Muslim world. We were going to homeschool and, if we couldn’t, we were supposed to stay in the U.S. It was that simple.

When we finally took what we thought was the bold and courageous step of speaking with someone from the International Mission Board, she reassured us that the Board had plenty of opportunities to serve—ones that wouldn’t require sending our children to boarding school. Her smile gave away that she was trying not to laugh. This barrier we had imagined standing in the way of our going was a product of our own anxious imagination. [1]

Have you sensed God stirring your heart toward missions, but found yourself overwhelmed by questions and short on answers? Concerns like student loan debt, family expectations, and the fear of falling behind in a competitive job market can make the idea of going feel impossible.

We’re living in a cultural moment that values control, security, and predictability. Uncertainty is the enemy. More than a decade ago, political scientist Diane Singerman developed the concept of “waithood”—a term that captures how uncertainty and instability combine with cultural pressures to cause Millennials and Gen Z to delay major life decisions, like marriage and a career, as they navigate the winding and bumpy path to adulthood. Singerman was looking specifically at youth in the Middle East, but the phenomenon has been observed globally, including here in the U.S. [2]

But what if waiting for certainty and clarity is the wrong approach for us as Christians? What if a calling to missions—like many of life’s biggest decisions—isn’t about having every detail nailed down, but about trusting the One who calls as he strengthens us to take the next step?

Uncertainty is a theme throughout the Bible. Abraham set out unsure of where he was going (Genesis 12:1–4). Moses was convinced his speech was inadequate (Exodus 4:10). Ruth knew nothing of what lay ahead when she committed herself to Naomi and Naomi’s God (Ruth 1).

The apostle Paul faced numerous experiences of uncertainty in his missionary journeys. In Acts 16:6–7, when he tried to go to Bithynia, God’s Spirit prevented him, redirecting him instead to Macedonia through a vision. In Acts 20:22–23, Paul describes the uncertainty that awaits him upon his return to Jerusalem, though God’s Spirit had made this much clear to him: trials and imprisonment would be part of the package. In the next verse, Paul discloses the secret to his ability to say yes to God in the face of uncertainty: his vision of the supremacy of Christ far exceeded his doubts and fears—even the fear of losing his life.

Missions history is filled with stories of men and women who followed God into the unknown. In fact, you could even say the history of missions is the story of God faithfully sustaining His “sent ones” amid uncertainty. Adoniram and Ann Judson lost their financial support upon arriving in Calcutta because they had embraced believer’s baptism—a conviction that put them at odds with their Congregationalist sponsors. George Liele fled an attempt to re-enslave him in antebellum Georgia and took his wife and children to Jamaica, stepping into missionary work with no guaranteed support and no certainty about what awaited him—except that he would begin ministry as an indentured servant. John Paton was warned he’d be eaten by cannibals before leaving for the New Hebrides, and then lost his wife and newborn son within weeks of arriving.

Looking back on our family’s journey since arriving in Central Asia 14 years ago, we’ve come to see that clarity often comes in hindsight—revealed through unmistakable evidence of God’s faithfulness. In 2020, when we were banned from the country where we had been serving, the uncertainty overwhelmed us again. But this time, we faced it with a deeper confidence, shaped by years of experiencing God’s presence with us in the unknown. God had taught us that obedience has little to do with certainty and everything to do with trusting Him.

If God is stirring your heart to go to the nations, don’t wait for every fear to be erased or every question to be answered. Take the next step. Ask the leaders in your church whether they could see you serving in cross-cultural ministry, and if they affirm you, ask them to help equip you. Seek out opportunities like the one coming up soon in Raleigh to discover how you might fit into what God is doing in the world to reconcile all peoples to himself. [3] If God is burdening your heart, say yes to him—even if your voice trembles. You won’t know all the details, but the one who knew all the days of your life before there was one of them is sovereign over them all (Psalm 139:16).