I have a love/hate relationship with hiking. There are times when it is easy to praise God, when it is not raining, when the terrain is level and I have lots of energy. At times like these, worship songs rise up easily within me, and God’s creation inspires me, as I walk with a spring in my step towards my destination. At other times, I have been known to get frustrated and cry for awhile, while plodding along.
When I think of the word “pilgrimage”, I think of it as a long hike. In John Bunyan’s classic story The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, Pilgrim, is on a journey to the Celestial City. Whether you see his journey as an adventure or a pathway of troubles, he sometimes wants to quit.
Do you know that you are blessed, no matter what your life’s pilgrimage holds? You have reason to be happy, for you are among the fortunate, according to these verses, and in this blessedness you are actually to be envied by others who do not have this supernatural connection with God!
You are able to “dwell” constantly in God’s house, for his Spirit is within you (I Corinthians 6:19-20), and you are the temple of the living God. So, no matter how difficult the path that lies before you today, keep those praises going all of the time. Church never ends for the believer. Your strength is in God, so the journey ahead is never too much for you. You can choose to put your whole heart into it!
Yes, this pilgrimage may pass through a “Valley of Baka” which means “Valley of Weeping”, but your tears might end up bringing you to a “place of springs” instead, a place of refreshing and strengthening your soul. Even autumn rains don’t have to dampen your spirit! A song that comes to mind from my past is Showers of Blessings - worship song
It gives me a whole new perspective on rain.
Father God, thank you for the sunshine and the rain, the blessings and the troubles, the joy and the pain of setting our hearts on pilgrimage, knowing that you are with us all of the way. Amen.
Throughout this day: Think about the question: What does it mean for you to go “from strength to strength” today (verse 7)?
Photo Credit: Anna Tukhfatullina