A Pilgrim Journey

Phil 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I wonder if Jesus were to return today would he recognize his people as being a thankful people? This morning we've heard testimonies from members of our church who are thankful for the many ways God has moved in their lives. But what about the rest of us?

I want you to do a little imagination experiment with me. I want you to allow a picture to form in your mind just for a moment of what your life would look like if you were to recognize God - not you or someone else - but God as the sole provider of every good thing in your life?

Let me help you do this. What would it mean for you to say, "My job was given to me by God."
"My home and my family were gifts of God to me."
"My good health that I enjoy is God's way of being gracious to me."
"The food that I eat and the clothes that I wear are God's ways of reminding me that he fills me and covers me with his presence."
"My friends that I enjoy are God's means of letting me know that I am not alone."
"My spouse and my children are God's ways of saying to me that I'm now possess the maturity for the responsibility of nurturing another human life. It is God's wonderful expression to me that my life no longer has to revolve around ME."
"My church family is God's way of communicating to me my purpose in life and helping me to fulfill that purpose with the help of others."

You see, when we look at our lives from THIS perspective we cannot help but think to ourselves - "Thank you God for what I have."

I've been reading a book for some time on the history of those who came over on the Maylower by Nathanial Philbrick. It's a wonderfully readable book that describes the early days of the settlement at Plymouth and the amazing hardships faced by the pilgrims as they sought a new land to worship and be the church free of the persecution of King James of England (who authorized the King James Bible that many of us use!). When the pilgrims set sail for the new world in 1620 they had over a hundred human lives on the Mayflower willing to venture into a unknown place.

They arrived at their destination on November 9th - too late in the Fall to plant and harvest their own food - and so they had to rely on the generosity of the local Pokonoket Indians, their own hunting skills, and the grace of God to get them through the harsh New England Winter. Many died during that hard winter. When Spring came - only half of the original number of pilgrims had survived - around fifty.

Years later as their governor William Bradford reflected poetically on the difficulties they had experienced together and borrowing from a theme in Hebrews 13, he wrote:

Faint not, poor soul, in God still trust,
Fear not the things thou suffer must;
For, whom he loves he doth chastise,
And then all tears wipes from their eyes.

For Bradford, "every occurrence meant something." (Philbrick, 77) In the experience of the pilgrims, there was no place God was not - providing, forging, creating, and calling to holiness and faithfulness.

When God calls us to be his faithful people - he doesn't promise us comfort or security by the world's standards. Instead he calls us to a mission and a purpose. Being called out to reflect the character of God in the middle of a world in rebellion to God is going to be fraught with difficulty and a sense of separateness and at times even isolation.

I am confident that the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth were well aware of Deuternomy 31 and verse 6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

And therein is our promise. On our journey - as fellow pilgrims in the faith - God is with us. He gives us courage and boldness. He directs our steps if we listen and are faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

No matter how distant you may feel from God, know this. God is near to you. He has loved you from birth and has directed your steps. Even when we haven't always been faithful to him, HE has been faithful to us. He has faithfully called you to your divinely appointed purpose and is even now giving you everything you need to fulfill that call. He longs for you to say "yes" to him and live as His beloved child.

So what are you thankful for? Where do you see God active and alive in your life if only you will take a moment to be still and reflect on the course and direction of your life? How is God active today - and everyday - in your life providing goodness and blessing?

Take a moment right now and thank God for His awesome provision in your life. And let the peace of thanksgiving fill your hearts!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Jay