Praise the Lord for this beautiful
and lovely new day the Lord has given us to celebrate and to glorify Him. I
spent last evening at the Open House of one of our local High Schools which my
nieces and nephew attend. It was many years ago our daughters graduated from
High School, the last in 2002. I graduated from my High School 50 years ago.
It was wonderful to see some young parents whom I had joined in marriage, who
came to meet the High School teachers of their children. During my High School
days we had only text books, notebooks, pen and pencil. Now It is all high tech
with the latest gadgets and gizmos, including powerpoint, the web, twitter
accounts, e-mail, all on desk tops, PCs, laptops, and tablets. It is all
exciting and thrilling to study and learn.
I have been reflecting on our lives
as a pilgrimage on earth, as journeys that we take. I was reflecting on Psalm
84. This particular psalm describes a journey
of hope. The Christian life as a journey is the controlling metaphor in perhaps
the most famous book written on the Christian life, The Pilgrim's Progress. John Bunyan's hero, aptly named
Christian, makes his way to the Celestial City. This theme also is reflected in
the words of Amazing Grace: "Through many dangers,
toils, and snares I have already come. 'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
and grace will lead me home."
The idea of life as a journey or
pilgrimage is a solid metaphor for our life as Christ-followers in this world.
Jesus is our bread for the journey. He is the manna and the fountain of the
living water for the journey we take. He is also our strength. In verses 5-8 the word "strength" is used several times.
Verse 5 says, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you." Verse 7 continues,
"They go from strength to strength." It makes sense that those on a long
journey would get tired and need strength, but it's more than that. In verse 6
the psalmist talks about passing "through the Valley of Baka." On the way to
the temple, the pilgrim would pass through this valley. Baka was a Hebrew word
that meant weeping or tears. We'll pass
through difficult and dry times on our pilgrimage at times become the of
weeping. The surprise is that this valley, of
all places, can become a blessing. The
psalmist says those who receive strength from God are those "whose hearts are
set on pilgrimage." There's a direction to their life. They're moving towards
God. Their hearts are set. That's what allows them to "make it a place of
springs." When we face difficulties, when we
walk through the Valley of Baka and it never seems to end. Certainly, the Holy
Spirit must do a work in our lives. He's the one who gives us a homing instinct
for God. There is still something we can do, found in verse 5, "Blessed are
those whose strength is in you." We need to show our dependence, our reliance,
upon God, in a walk of faith. It's God-reliance rather than self-reliance that
we need. Out of that spirit of weakness and helplessness, the psalmist cries,
"Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob."
In verses 9-12, we see this
pilgrimage was a journey of joy. It's almost as if the pilgrim has reached his
destination, where he finds in the presence of God every imaginable good. He
cries out, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." In
essence, he's saying that he wouldn't trade one day in God's presence for
anything on earth. Then he adds, "I would
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the
wicked." In other words, "I'll take the most humble position in God's house
above anything the world has to offer" because
"the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor." The Lord
is a sun—he gives light and guides us. He's a shield—he protects us and guards
us. He bestows favor and honor, or as another translation says, grace and
glory. . .
God is the author of our
story. He's watching our journey, supplying us with his strength each day, and
he will bring us home to live with him and the great company of the redeemed
forever. The joy of our destination makes our current struggle worth
it.
In Jesus our Lord.
Brown
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