A pilgrimage is a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Each of us is called in this life to be on a pilgrimage with Christ on the narrow path that eventually leads to heaven. What if we looked at life as a pilgrimage in which we walk with the Lord? It may have these stages:
Stage One: Involves feeling what it means to be a pilgrim and how
different this is from just traveling from A and B. Each of us is on a pilgrimage. We are citizens of heaven, here for a time and a purpose, but on our way home.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12:1
Stage Two: Reading the signs, seeing that journeys are unique
experiences led by the Holy Spirit, and that they take on a life of their own. Enjoy the journey; it is full of surprises and divine appointments.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6<www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%203%3A5-6&version=NKJV>
Stage Three: Becoming aware of our companions and why we are in
the company we are. This isn’t always easy. Who else is traveling with us on our pilgrimage? Are they aware of it?
“And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the scriptures to us?’” Luke 24:13
Stage Four: Relates to the history, the “story” we are witnessing, and
its social, political, and spiritual implications. We are watching a story unfold, of history being made as we speak.
· “And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.” Acts 2:18-19
Stage Five: Is about losing our role as observer and becoming part of
the story. We also participate in the story, and shape it as it shapes us.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Stage Six: Leads to a more visionary appreciation of the land, seeing
it as a place where heaven and earth interact. Here we are seeing with the eyes of the Holy Spirit. Our pilgrimage is from the Kingdom of God, interacting with and being ambassadors of Christ to the
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” II Corinthians 5:20
Stage Seven: An affirmation that we were all created in the image of
God. Walking with the Lord as a pilgrimage is a way of opening ourselves up in a way which is both comforting and revealing. We are called by God to be on this pilgrimage at this time, for His purpose, to His glory.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” I Peter 2:9
It is an incredible honor, gift, and experience to walk with the Lord on a pilgrimage – on the narrow path – that leads to heaven, a place of joy, peace, and love. So let us reach out to those who come across our paths with the love and truth of Christ, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Adapted from poem “The Sacred Way” by Jay Ramsay
To God be the glory
Board of Evangelism