Psalm 84:5–7 (NIV)
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley …
they make it a place of springs…
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God ...
In the Old Testament pilgrimage is at the heart of the culture and tradition. This is the dominant culture from which Christianity grew. The Hebrew word means “one who goes up,” often referring to people making a journey to visit Jerusalem which sits on a mountain. As they walked, they sang pilgrim songs that are recorded in Psalm 120 through 134. These songs built their expectation for meeting God at a festival or feast.
On the day of Pentecost, over three thousand pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the feast gave their lives to Jesus. Acts 2 tells us that they had traveled from countries far and wide and spoke many different languages. They had one thing in common – they made a journey to meet with God.
Pilgrimage is still Important to Christians today.
It has been said that everyone is on a journey from the womb to the tomb. Our lives are one long adventure of moving through life; looking forward to heaven. The purpose we find along the way is attached to walking and living in the destiny that God has in His heart for each of us.
While this whole life is a road to perfect peace with God in heaven, there can be moments and shorter intentional journeys that draw us closer to Him. To travel and take “holiday” for the purpose of drawing near to Jesus is often referred to as making a pilgrimage.
Ray Simpson, a Celtic believer writes,
“The purpose of pilgrimage is to tread in the shoes of Christ or his saints in order to make contact with the many rich experiences which are to do with being a pilgrim. Such pilgrimages draw us into deeper devotion to our Lord Jesus and will inspire us to mission.”
He continues,
“In true pilgrimage we let go of having to be in control… We get in touch with our vulnerability ; we need sources of security deeper than those we have left behind; we have recourse to an inner compass.”
“We shall never find our life’s purpose by drifting, nor by climbing the ladder of success. Pilgrimage helps us to cease to drift, to step off that ladder, and to step forward, intent on finding God. (Psalm 84 helps us see that) when we make pilgrimage we bless ourselves and others.”
Faith is an Endless Pilgrimage of the Heart.
My forefathers in Ireland made pilgrimage part of their unforced rhythms of grace. They would incorporate trekking to a special place to meet with God. The walk would incorporate singing songs, praying prayers, quoting Scripture, and listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Often those on pilgrimage would benefit from an Anam Cara (a soul friend) to help to encourage and challenge them along the way.
In a few days, a group of 17 from our church family will go on a spiritual pilgrimage to Ireland. We will walk in the footsteps of holy men and women from hundreds of years ago and meet a few of the modern-day saints who are part of Christian churches. By learning from the testimonies of those who walked with Jesus, our hearts will be challenged to grow in our own faith and walk with Jesus.
While we will see ruins, churches, lakes, rivers, wells, and other physical places that others have traveled to as a part of pilgrimage, Ray Simpson reminds us that,
“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.”
You might think traveling so far isn’t necessary to meet with Jesus, and you are correct. However, when we step out of our own culture, comfort zone and distractions, we often learn about parts of God’s character and plan for us that we wouldn’t encounter closer to home.
I am enthusiastically taking on the role of an “anam cara” (soul friend) to our people on this 8-day journey. Please pray for us to have Holy Spirit encounters and receive revelation on our pilgrimage during September 11-20. I’m so excited to see how Jesus meets us as we seek Him in a beautiful place. We are looking forward to coming back and sharing testimonies of how we encountered our God!
If you missed my message last week, "Sabbatical Overflow 2 - Let Go of Anxiety", click here.
Our Sunday Service in the Dome begins at 10:00 a.m. You can also live stream our service on Facebook and YouTube at 10:00 a.m.
