Simply a pilgrim on a journey

Last month, I spent yet another week in the Canadian wilderness. It has become a sanctuary for me. It’s easily the place I feel most myself; I am comfortable there and my spirit is at ease. The people have become like family —going up to Algonquin is like going home. It also became a place of safety, a place I can wrestle well and hear from the Lord, a place that brings healing. He is always so near… in the morning fog or in the bright sunrise, in the wind and the waves as well as in the calm, in the beauty of the sky as the sun sets, in the moon and the stars. And this week did not disappoint. 

I am simply a pilgrim on a journey… just passing through. This world is not my home. This concept sank in deep this week as we studied Hebrews 11. It’s something that I’ve thought about it before — it’s a fairly natural thought when you have everything you need on your back and each night you settle in a new place. But it is slowly becoming my reality. The more I think about eternity, the more I realize that life here on earth will never fully satisfy. When I look at the stories in Hebrews 11, I can’t help but wonder… what motivated their life of faith? What motivated them to leave their homeland, “not knowing where he was going…”? What motivated them to make personal sacrifices, to suffer hardship, to live without fear, to endure? “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Some versions use nomads or pilgrims.) “For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” (v. 13-15) Each one of them lived, full of faith, looking to the eternal reward. Having an eternal perspective impacts how I live today. 

Unseen, but not unknown… As I read through this chapter, this thought stuck out to me. Each of these people walked forward into the unseen. But here’s what I realized; even though their future was unseen, it was not unknown. The basis of their faith is this “…for whoever would draw near to God must believe he exists and will reward those who seek him.” (v. 6) They are convinced of those two things: that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him. This is the substance of faith that allows them to live every day with an eternal perspective, close to the heart of God. They are confident in this, it is what they know to be true, which allows them to move forward with faith into what they cannot see. 

Walking in faith requires endurance… which is produced in the suffering. Ugh… This sunk in during the fifth and final portage of the day, the second portage that was over a mile long. My canoe partner and I had decided to pray as we walked. Eventually, I exhausted my prayers – all I could think about was how heavy my burden was, how it was digging into my shoulders and neck, how hard it was to breath. I heard my canoe partner behind me praying for strength and endurance to continue. Her prayer brought these verses to mind:

“Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12:1

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.“ James 1:2-4

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life…” James 1:12

I began a breathless prayer of my own… “God, I believe the temporary suffering of this world is a good thing. I believe it is producing endurance. I believe it is strengthening my faith. I believe it is refining me into the likeness of your Son.” It soon turned into somewhat of a chant which continued to drive me forward. “The suffering is good. It’s producing endurance and steadfast faith. The suffering is good. It’s producing perseverance and stronger faith. The suffering is good…” Endurance allows us to run the race until we receive the reward.  

He who promised is faithful. I will end with this… much of what I was reading resonates with my life right now. And that reality of moving forward in faith is slightly terrifying. But there is so much comfort for me in that one phrase, “He who promised is faithful”. It speaks clearly to the character and nature of God. He is faithful to fulfill his promises and we have testimony after testimony to prove it. He is faithful when I am without faith, when I doubt, or when I’m distracted by weight and sin. He is faithful to see all the stories in Hebrews 11 through to completion, and He is faithful to also see my story through to the end. I can rest in this… He is faithful. 

 “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” Hebrews 10:39