“What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”

Psalm 84:5

I love this verse as it reminds me of my journey with Christ. It’s been 7 years this month that I began my pilgrimage to Jerusalmen! The more I travel, the more I realize that the journey is long and that as we  journey we come face to face with struggles and weeping as well as mountain top experiences. It’s like a roller coaster! I don’t know about you but as I get older, roller coasters aren’t as much fun as they used to be!!  I would rather be at the top hill and just sit there!

I have been praying alot lately about WHO my God is….and JOY has been coming to my mind constantly. He IS my JOY! I have come from the valley and am on my way up to the mountain top. Through my struggles, I have come to know WHO my God is. There have been many times when I questioned Him because he wasn’t there (at least I thought he wasn’t). There were many times when I put Him in a box and limited my thoughts of who He was and what He could do in my life. I couldn’t see Him and I felt like He wasn’t there at all. All I saw was darkness. As my struggles continued I began to doubt Him and His love for me. But His love remained! He is faithful to His children!  Why would He even want to help me when my faith waivered so much? Have you ever struggled so much that you truly did not trust in Him and His promises? Maybe you even pushed Him away or even questioned if there truly was a God!

The good news in my life, is that He never gave up on me. He continued to pursue me even though I had lost hope in Him. He helped me get back on my feet and He placed a desire in my heart to pursue Him. I set my mind on my pilgrimage towards Him and through my journey I have found joy again, in HIM!. He gave me strength to move forward and pulled me out of the pit I was in. If you continue to read in Psalm 84:6-7 you will be encouraged, as I was, that  as we walk through the Valley of Weeping, it becomes a place of refreshing springs. The Lord will provide for you in the valley and refreshment will come. There is NO JOY greater than knowing Him and seeing Him at work in your life! You will continue to grow stronger and you will appear before the Lord!  If you contine to pursue the Lord, He will give you strength to move through your valley! Make sure that in those times, that your pilgrimage moves towards God, not away from Him. He is a faithful and loving God (Psalm 36:5)! He cares for you!

I pray that you will find joy in your pursuit of Him. Read Psalm 84:1-4 and remember how lovely is His dwelling place and how much He wants to dwell within your heart! Give him the chance to be your JOY!!