Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
(Psalm 84:5 NLT)
Observation
Today—as it turns out—is a holiday in the United States. Because the 4th of July fell on a Sunday, and everybody likes a good excuse for a day off work, today—July 5th—is for most Americans a day to rest, to relax, and…for some…to travel a bit! I’m traveling today. I am among those “who have set their minds on a pilgrimage” (Psalm 84:5).
I think people think differently when they’re traveling. Sensible folks do, anyway! You know where you are is not your final destination. You know joy awaits you when you finally arrive. And you endure all sorts of things differently than you otherwise might—cramped quarters, delays in the schedule, maybe a meal schedule not quite to your liking—because…well, it’s all part of the trip.
Done right (and I know—we don’t always do it right, but done right…) a good traveling companion makes the trip better for everybody else, too.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
(Psalm 84:6-7 NLT)
May that be true of me, today—not just on the brief excursion I’ll enjoy over a national holiday, but in life…throughout life. May I see it for what it is—a pilgrimage—and think differently because of it. And may blessings to others on the journey result because I’ve been a good traveling companion along the way.
***
4 comments:
Pastor Kent, I love the ’road trip’ as well - in fact, I think that I enjoy the time spent with my companion, just as much as when we get to our destination…it makes the trip a whole lot more enjoyable! I loved the Psalms today; great memories with all of the (70‘s & 80‘s) worship choruses. I read to the following verse, and came abruptly to a stop….“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
Selah” (Psalm 49:15) Death is the ultimate journey that all of us take….it is even greater to know my traveling companion (the lover of my soul) will take me into eternity at that moment….
I love a good road trip! I especially love the short day trips more than the longer ones, less planning and preparation and more enjoying the "ride". Less figuring it all out, and more of a childlike anticipation of what is next! I am all for planning and order, but somehow the older I get alot of it doesn't really matter in the end. We somehow miss the "things" along the way and get frazzled by detours that we didn't anticipate.
Psalms 47:9, KJV "The princes of the people are gathered together even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted."
This is comforting to me especially now in the state in which our country is in I can remember that the "shields of the earth belong unto God.." If looked up in the dictionary there is a wide section devoted to the definition of 'shield' and here is some of them:
a fixture designed to protect persons from injury..one that protects or defends...to provide with a protective cover or shelter..defend..something resembling a shield as policeman's badge or a decorative or identifying emblem.
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