A Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Life is a journey. So much of the language of Scripture makes use of the metaphor of walking to describe our relationship with God. We’re told to walk In newness of life, to walk by faith, to walk in the light and in the truth and in the Spirit and in love. On this long walk with God, there will be both tears and joy. But no matter where you find yourself on this journey of life, God is reminding you in this present moment that He is aware, He cares, and He is always there with you.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever gone on a long walk, hike or traveled any great distance on foot? What was that experience like for you? How was it different from seeing that same terrain by other means? Does it have any effect on your spiritual life? And if it did, how?
2. The whole point of pilgrimage (and for that matter any and all of the spiritual disciplines) is to experience more of God. Pilgrimage carves out a large block of time to spend with God while on a journey. The time on the way gives us plenty of opportunity for reflection, prayer, and even conversation with our fellow pilgrims. What have you found to be the most regular and enjoyable spiritual disciplines you engage in? How have they expanded your capacity for God?
3. Passing through the Valley of Baka appears to be a metaphor that represents times of difficulty in our life, times of bareness, and times of weeping. No believer escapes trials and difficulties in life we are told in Scripture. Even the assumption in the Psalm is not whether you will pass through the valley experiences of life but what to do when you do. In times of difficulty, what we believe is put to the test. But also, there is a real temptation to turn inward and become one with our pain. The Psalmist writer explains that it’s the pilgrim who transforms the valley experience. We mark the trail for others who will surely have to come this same way themselves. Have trials been something you merely endured or have you made sure that others have profited from your experience? Since God never wastes a hurt, have you allowed Him to use even the terrible things that have happened to you to be a conduit of healing to others? If so, share your experiences with others?
4. As Michelle Van Loon said, “A pilgrim is formed by the question ’Do I trust Him?’” How has your journey through life deepened or damaged your trust in God?
5. Since we can always find Christ in the deepest pockets of human need (based on what He told us in Matthew 25), what God experiences have you had among those who suffer, the poor, the elderly, and society’s most vulnerable people?
6. For Further Study: Take some time to read the Psalms of Ascent and Descent (Psalms 120-134). What else do you learn about pilgrimage from these Psalms? How might they help you in your daily walk with God?
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