Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5 (NIV)
The Heart – Pilgrimage Series – Part 6
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
The author of Hebrews wrote: “As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds, each affirming faith’s reality. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (TPT).
John wrote that Jesus said: “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” John 14:6 (TM).
The Psalmist wrote: “How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness! Even when their path winds through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain. He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring. They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward until they find all their strength in you, and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion.” Ps 84:5-7 (TPT).
Let us embark on our journey of faith, our life-long pilgrimage, where we travel ever closer to the heart of God and to the heart of humanity. Where the two become more and more entwined, dancing upon the earth in peace and compassion, joy and hope, to songs of love and redemption.
For the ancient Hebrews, pilgrimage was about presence. Not so much geography or accomplishments, but the pure awareness of God being present in and through it all. Our lives aren’t so different to the lives of pilgrims past, “the great witnesses who encircle us like clouds;” whose lives testify and bear witness to God’s faithfulness and love.
Jesus came to show us a new way, to get us unstuck, to open the door forward, to point us in the right direction. He is the way… the way to the Father, the Divine, ultimate presence, and unity with God. And it's not a way, or a journey, or a road that we walk by being perfect, or saying all the right things, or by accumulating enough successes, or sacrificing just enough of ourselves and lives.
It’s a different kind of “way,” an internal road, a pilgrimage of the heart.
The way of Jesus looks like compassion, hope, generosity, faith (with room for doubts), forgiveness (giving and receiving), redemption, love – of neighbor and enemy, overcoming (not conquering), strength in weakness, joy in grief, wisdom in pain. His is the way of sacrifice, peace and valuing others simply because they ARE, not because they can do something for you.
Rather than taking up weapons and amassing an army to destroy and overthrow the Roman empire, he chose NOT to retaliate with violence – no matter how justified he may have been – and instead, with all humility, grace, and vulnerability, allowed himself to be murdered by an intimidating, blood hungry, power structure.
He showed us that peace is the way and that death does not have the last say: resurrection.
Every step of his life mixed heaven and earth more deeply into each other. That is our journey, the road that is before, the pilgrimage of our lives.
If you look around at our world, and even within our own heart, you'll see that we have indeed come a long way, but we have quite a way to go yet…
So pilgrim, start walking.
“Faith is the word that describes the direction our feet start moving when we find we are loved. Faith is stepping out into the unknown with nothing to guide us but a hand just beyond our grasp.” Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat.
Are you going walking “The Way?” Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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