The Joyful Journey
Ps 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;…
The bow of the ship tore into the next huge wave
and slowly struggled to clear the water from her deck. It was January in the
cold north Atlantic ocean and the gale had been blowing for three days. I was
seasick along with hundreds of other soldiers returning from Europe. In spite
of the conditions it was a joyful journey. We were going home.
The 84th psalm is the lament of a
man who was not going to Jerusalem to one of the feasts. The Old Testament Jews
celebrated several feasts but three stand out as significant. The word “pilgrimage”
is connected with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the
Feast of Tabernacles. Males were expected (required?) to attend these three
feasts at the Temple in Jerusalem or later one of the Levitical cities.
Leviticus 23 gives the details of when and what each feast included.
The
psalmist was not going for whatever reason. But the pilgrimage was in his
thoughts and expressed in this psalm.
Ps 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth
for the
courts of the LORD: my heart and
my flesh crieth out for the living God.
His mind turns to the sparrows and swallows that make
their nest in the temple grounds. They have made the temple their home. He
thinks of the great joy of living there.
Ps 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the
swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O
LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house…
His thoughts turn from the temple to the pilgrimage. It
was a long ways and through difficult conditions. There were long uphill
stretches to climb, desert like areas to cross, and the heat of the day to
suffer through. But these pilgrims could draw upon an inner strength.
Ps 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee
That was the source of their determination and
strength for the journey. They were going to God’s house and were traveling in
His strength and were double happy (Blessed).
That is the meditation for today. How do we
handle the hills and valleys of life. What sustains us across the dry spells
when we see no end in sight. What refreshes our soul when we can find no shade
for relief from the stresses of life. Those on the pilgrimage had an answer. “Blessed
is the man whose strength is in thee”
Their hearts desire was to go to the Temple feasts. The difficulties of
travel were small compared to the joy of being at the Temple.
Today we all know of Christians who found the pilgrimage
too difficult. They faint along the way. They have insufficient strength for
the journey. The long uphill climbs are too much for them. They seem to wander in the dry places without
direction. Some have sat down under a shade tree and will not continue. Too
often they are relying on their own strength.
We are not talking about salvation here.
Christ paid the cost for that and we cannot do anything to add to what he has
completed. If you know Christ as your personal savior and have been redeemed by
His precious blood then your destiny is assured. The question for us today is
how do we get strength from God to handle our daily challenges.
The psalmist understood
that as well. He had made pilgrimages before and knew how to be
successful. The word Baca may refer to a
dry valley. The word is used only here. From the context it would seem to be a
dry place and would look like the half empty glass to some. The psalmist saw it
differently. He saw it as half full, or even running over.
Ps 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a
well; the rain also filleth the pools.
He had a positive outlook. But it was the way he walked
that made the difference.
Ps 84:… no good thing will he withhold
from them that
walk uprightly.
Walking uprightly is the key to gaining the
strength from God for daily living. But some dear people are trying to walk the
walk all bent over. Generally they are bent over as they walk by three things
that are toxic to Christian wellbeing.
1.
Guilt – They are bent over with unconfessed sin
and/or continuing sinful activity.
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just
to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. Blame
– (the Bible word is bitterness) They are victims of what someone else has done
to them, and refuse to forgive the offender. The poison of bitterness is
extremely toxic to spiritual growth and Godly strength. Here is why.
Mr 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your
Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
3.
Burdens – Are you too busy, anxious, stressed
out, and heavy laden? God never intended for you to have too many burdens. If
you feel like you have too many, then they are self imposed because the Bible
says;
Mt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light.
If your burden is heavy it is self imposed!
For today let us meditate on walking uprightly
and gaining the strength of God in our lives.
Let us confess our sins, forgive others, and drop self-imposed burdens.
Ps 84:5
Blessed is the man whose
strength is in thee…
