Oregon Outback
Yesterday I walked several miles north of Lakeview, Oregon on U.S. 395. I put my backpack down and stood on the side of the road for half an hour and this car pulled over to give me a ride.
The guy’s name was Jim and he had come from Whiskeytown, California that morning. After a few minutes of talking, we found out that we were both Christians and had some good fellowship.
We talked about Oswald Chambers, Smith Wigglesworth and about this other guy who had a healing ministry. As we talked, I thought that Jim looked vaguely familiar.
Jim told me that he was from South Dakota. I asked him if he knew where Murdo, South Dakota was, as I have hitchhiked through there many times over the years. He said that he lived near Murdo.
Then Jim told me that he had picked up this hitchhiker several years ago north of North Platte, Nebraska. The hitchhiker told him that he had been hitchhiking for twelve years. Jim took the hitchhiker home and let him stay overnight. The next morning the hitchhiker told him that he didn’t sleep at all that night because the Presence of God had been so strong—and he wasn’t tired at all (I thought, that sounds like something I would have said).
Jim and I drove up the road past Valley Falls and to the Christmas Valley intersection. We stopped to let his dog walk around a bit. I then asked what Jim’s last name was. He told me his last name and I told Jim that his name rung a bell. When he told me that he went to a Bible college in Colorado for a short while, then I told him that Jim had picked me up before—maybe back in 2009 or 2010. Later I told him that maybe he picked me up in 2007 or 2008.
I told Jim that when I left his house several years ago, I walked to I-90 and got a ride with this truck driver. That truck driver had picked me up a few years before. He drove us to Bridger, Montana where I stayed for one night with his wife and kids. Small world—especially when you know that the Lord is in control.
Jim and I drove through Burns and then Ontario, Oregon. We drove to Boise where he dropped me off at a truck stop on Federal Way. I camped out a mile or so east of the truck stop that night.
So what is the significance of this post? God’s perfect timing; God’s perfect will: the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Road 
It must be nice out on the open road without any agenda in particular except to see where Yahweh is leading you. Waiting for a ride is a drag though. I used to do that a lot. It has become much more difficult since those days.
A while back we picked up a hitchhiker and he stayed over at our house. He came back many times in the following years. We had some really good fellowship. I don’t think we’ve had a close friend like that since. It is interesting how Almighty arranges things.
The funny thing is that I was planning on leaving Lakeview the day before. The Lord delayed me one more day, I walked several miles and then I got a ride all the way to Boise.
God’s timing is always perfect. What we need to do is to wait on His timing, and when He tells us to go, we go.
You are so right. When we move according to His will, He will always get us there.
Back in college, I went to a friend’s house at the end of the school year to get a job. After about two weeks, nothing showed up in that little town where I’d hoped to spend the summer and I had to go home.
Home was an eight hour drive away, and there was no ride or money that was going to take me there.
I was given a ride to a friend’s dorm room about 1 hour in the right direction. I stayed overnight with him and left hitchhiking early in the morning.
I’d walked about an hour down a lonely country highway when I was picked up by two other college students from the local university. We got to talking and I told them where I was going, but that I would need to stop by my college first and pick up all my belongings before going home.
They not only offered me a ride all the way home since they were headed there too, 7 hours worth, but took me to my college, 3 hours away, and let me pack all my belongings in the back of their pickup while they visited a relative in that town.
Mom was surprised when I knocked on the door with a pickup full of stuff, but I was amazed how the Lord had set things up out on a deserted country highway in the middle of nowhere.
Mere coincidence? No! Serendipity, ‘god-incidences’ like jigsaw pieces falling into place, as we well know, are warmly encouraging examples of Father’s watching over us, per 2 Chron 16:9 – or as the monk Brother Lawrence called it: practising the Presence.
Praise Dad for His non-stop loving care…
Richard: The more we die to self, the more we see the Hand of God in our lives every day.
So I camped out in Boise and then, the next morning, I was walking on I-84 and this pickup pulled over and the driver, Wilbur, gave me a ride all the way to Jackson, Wyoming. We had a great talk about a lot of things. He was really tired, so Wilbur had me drive from Carey, Idaho all the way to Jackson. I typed up some things at the library in Jackson and then I hitchhiked to the airport and slept in the lobby till 11 PM when the airport closed. I walked a few miles, found a place to sleep in this bicycle trail tunnel near Moose, Wyoming. This morning I got one ride to Dubois.
The guy who drove me to the Jackson Hole Airport, Forest, gave me a book written by Ken Ham and someone else. Maybe I am supposed to read that book.
Here’s the book: BEGIN: A JOURNEY THROUGH SCRIPTURES FOR SEEKERS AND NEW BELIEVERS compiled and edited by Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge. I read the first three chapters at the airport last night. It looks very good. Maybe I am supposed to read this book and give it to someone else.
Quite an adventure Time… (oops ‘Tim’; my wife called and I was distracted – or was it a guided typo!)
It was definitely a guided typo. Jesus Christ is the author of time and space and typographical errors. Sometimes I think my life is a series of unplanned, providential typographical errors.
God bless you Tim!! Just wanted to ask your reason for hitchhiking? I love how God is getting the glory behind it and keeping you on your endeavors.
The Lord told me to start hitchhiking back in 1996. My main work is intercession. I get odd jobs here and there on the road. I have had some very profound conversations with people about my Christian faith.
Awe neat and wonderful ride in my home State of Oregon Brother in Christ Jesus ( Yeshua ) Tim!!
Love Always and Shalom, YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann