Pilgrimage

Photo by Owen Humphreys

Psalm 84: 5-7

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, 

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 

As they pass through the Valley of Baka, 

they make it a place of springs; 

the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion. 

(NIV)

And how blessed all those in whom you live,

whose lives become roads you travel;

They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,

discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!

God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and

at the last turn -- Zion! God in full view! 

(The Message)

The life of faith is a pilgrimage. We have set our hearts on it -- it is a commitment we have made. As Eugene Peterson says, it is "a long obedience in the same direction." In other words, if we are following Jesus, we are in it for the long haul. No sprinters on this trip; we are going the distance.

We follow the One who has been this way before us. The road is uncertain, but the end -- God in full view -- is sure.