The Lost Art of Pilgrimage

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage, as they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools.  They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” -Psalms 84:5-7

Our family has recently suffered a great tragedy.  The kind that changes you for the rest of your life.  And I am proud of my children because they have agreed with me that the truth of who God is and what He says is not negotiable.

BUT…

Something radically shifts on the inside of you when you go through a major event or crisis.  Things that once came easy or that you believed easily, now take more work.  More digging.  More dependence on God just to make it through the day.

Scholars have said that it is possible that the Valley of Baca may not have been a literal place.  It can also be defined as “the valley of weeping.”  Warren Wiersbe describes this valley as “any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless, like ‘the pit of despair.’”

I have gone through deep challenges in life before and found that they had little influence on my emotions and soul realm.  At other times, it is like my entire being is completely exposed and vulnerable before God.  Right now, I am somewhere in between.  And that is o.k.

One area I see where I have grown over the years as a person because of my relationship with God is that I do not care about what people think about where I am at, how I should respond to my situation, or what my journey should look like in their opinion.  I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life that God has brought that do have permission to be part of my decision-making process, but all those other voices and opinions, I just do not care.

What I do care about is what the Father has to say.  What His Word speaks that brings guidance and life.  What comfort His precious Holy Spirit wants to bring to me and my family.  What greater revelation of Jesus is there for me and my family that will plunge us into greater intimacy and greater days ahead.

That brings me to the verse five of the passage above.  Pilgrimage.  What is it?  I looked it up and came across this definition:

A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.

It is not something you hear much about anymore, particularly in the sphere of Christianity that I most associate with.  I come from a Catholic background in my younger years, where there would be remnants of pilgrimage, but even there as in most of the segments of society, something once considered sacred and meaningful has been lost.

And maybe that is partly to blame for why the world is the way it is. The art of journey and story and meditation (which is more a Biblical concept than a new age one) have been lost.  The idea of setting one’s heart on a pilgrimage to become more intimate with God, to search for Him, and to discover meaning only found in Him, has become a lost art.

It is frowned upon because the world, including and sometimes even more relevant in the religious world, emphasizes “doing” and “working” and awards busyness.  These are important elements within the fabric of a healthy society and productive lifestyle but should be broken up with seasons of downtime accompanied by deep seeking.  I am not referring to the everyday seeking that should be the normal bringing of our relationship with God into our everyday lives.  This is about taking seasons when needed in life when nothing else makes sense or seems to be working as it did before, set your heart on pilgrimage.

I have done this in life before.  In 2013, we took a two-month sabbatical.  I was coming near forty and felt there was another direction life was meant to take.  For years it hovered there, and eventually, I knew I had to take some intentional time away to connect with God and family and myself to get the answers I needed.  It turned out to be life-changing for me and the entire family.  Not in some emotional hyped-up adrenal kick looking to do more or have better vision, but it serve as a platform to see the bigger picture of what God was doing and speaking to me and our family.  Big changes would occur in our ministry three years later.

When Rachel took sick, we tried to continue on, but after a few years, we decided to consolidate our family and focus.  I ministered part-time, as did Rachel with me in the ways that she was able, and we focused on studying the Word of God, in prayer, and being a family unit.  We focused on healing and restoration.  Our social connection narrowed a lot during that season.  We were in pursuit, and just as a professional athlete sacrifices many of the personal pleasures and relationships most others consider normal, we made radical changes.  We wanted more of God flowing through us.

I cannot even begin to express in words the soooooo much that God has done in our lives through the seeking.  Going after God with all your heart is not something you will ever regret.  Your flesh does not appreciate it, but your soul becomes alive as you allow your spirit to connect at a deeper level than you have before.

So here we stand.  In the valley of tears.  A painful place.  On pilgrimage.  Holding God to His promise that He will provide streams in the desert (Isaiah 43:19); oil of joy for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3); and comfort those who mourn (Matthew 5:4).

If you are in that same place and nothing seems to make sense, I would encourage you to set your heart on pilgrimage.  If possible, take time out of your normal busy life and take a journey where you get away from the norm and find solitude and rest in new surroundings.  Most important…do not feel guilty.

It is amazing the times in Scripture that Jesus’ disciples, the crowds, or His earthly family searched for Him while He was lost in seeking to be with His heavenly Father.  He made no excuses and it marked His time on this earth and His ministry.  If He made no excuses for setting aside time for pilgrimage, then should we not similarly live our own lives?