02/07/2019
Are you satisfied to remain where you are in your life, and likewise your faith? Are you resisting the moves that God has called you to make? So often complacency and fear trap us in circumstances both physical, and spiritual, and in so doing, this slowly destroys our joy, and our faith begins to fade. We are meant to be on a journey through life, and a pilgrimage towards greater faith and relationship with God. A moment’s rest is good, but the walk ahead brings us joyously into the presence of the Lord.
“Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.”
Micah 2:10 ESV
The year was 1963, and I lived near the Alps in Augsburg Germany. While living there I went on an adventure that I will never forget. I hiked with a group of other boys to Berchtesgaden, a beautiful town nestled in the Alps, and it was so amazingly scenic that it took my breath away. Along the way we journeyed though many places, and saw some fantastic things, but one of the most profound for me was a stop we made at a monastery where we dined with the monks. It was here that I first tasted oxtail soup, but what impressed me most was the holiness I felt there... the solemn and restful nature of this place and those who resided within it... yet as spiritually peaceful as this was, it was not our destination; only a place of refreshment along the way. Our trek towards heaven is similar to this. We will come upon places as we travel the pilgrim’s way that will feel like home, and they will tempt us to stay, but Heaven calls us on, and the Holy Spirit draws us deeper as we pilgrimage into our faith, and the joy associated with it.
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14 ESV
Where are you in your journey today? Have you been resting too long? Is the taste of the once delicious soup becoming old, the joy fading away, and the cloud lifting up before you? As we walked towards Berchtesgaden we became weary, and our packs heavy, so we would stop for rest, nourishment, and relaxation. We picked places that were amazing tastes of where we were going, but they were only meant to be brief times of healing, and experiences that would grow us. Our walk through life is likewise hard, and our feet become weary, dusty, and occasionally covered with blisters... so we stop to recover, and strengthen ourselves for the journey ahead. The amazing thing is that we are often tempted to stay there... the town is beautiful, the monastery holy, this place filled with a peace that satisfies our spirit, and as the blisters on our feet heal, we find that being there is free from the pain that the road inflicts... but if we were to stay we would not grow, not witness the sights ahead, nor learn the new lessons. Jesus never settled in a place for long; He was meant to move on, and so are we.
“Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.”
Exodus 40:36-37 ESV
God tells us when to stay and rest, and he lifts His cloud when it is time to move on, but He will always lift the cloud because He has a plan for us, and calls us to abide in Him.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for this journey of faith, and for weaving it so perfectly into my life. Thank you for the calluses on my feet, and the blisters between my toes. In my suffering let me come to know you more, and in the places of rest you have provided, help me to recover from the miles I have come, and for the miles that lie ahead. Teach me Holy Father to listen to your voice, and to watch for your cloud as it moves me on, and later causes me to settle once again. Show me the way of the pilgrim Father as I seek you with each step I take, and teach me as I sit at the feet of your Holy Spirit in restful interlude. Give me peace in your Son Jesus as I rest, and let me do your will even as He did. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God, who leads me by the still waters, and restores my soul. Praised be your name Holy Father as your table is set before me, and I recognize the fruits of my faithful life among those of Christ. Great are you my God into whose hands I have committed my spirit when my journey is at end, and to whom all glory is given now, and forevermore.
Rich Forbes