The early morning sunlight felt gentle and warm against my troubled spirit. I sat on the porch sipping my coffee, Bible in my lap; the silence offered a wonderful reprieve from worry. I had become a weary traveler on this walk of faith. Where was God? He promised to carry me when I had no strength.
But here in the blush of a new day, I sensed God’s presence drawing near. Peace settled over me — contentment that had been missing for quite some time.
God Spoke to this weary traveler
“Speak to me through Your Word, Lord. I’m listening,” I prayed.
Opening my Bible, my eyes fell on the subtitle of Psalm 137: Longing for Jerusalem in a Foreign Land. I paused and considered the season of life I’m experiencing.
It feels foreign to me.
My husband of forty-three years is experiencing rapid decline as we fight this beast called frontotemporal dementia. Our decades of pastoring have ended. As a caregiver, I’m unable to travel in my ministry of strengthening the faith of women; my writing time is limited and often interrupted. Many nights I cry myself to sleep, wondering who I am … perhaps forgetting that I am a child of God; that my identity is in Him … not in ministry.
It’s foreign, and this old girl has become a weary traveler.
I long for a familiar, happier time. I long to sing for joy once again, to experience rest in my soul.
Sing for joy in the foreign land
The Israelites said, “Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: ‘Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!’ But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:1-4).
The children of God had ceased to praise. Their harps hung upon the willows, their voices silent.
But wait! Why did they refuse to sing? Their captors were mocking them, making light of their God. The song of Jerusalem was for worship, not entertainment.
Praise is for worship, not for entertainment.
The next verses say, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy” (verses 4-6).
This outward behavior reflected their difficult place.
Their inward reflections — their hearts and minds — revealed their steadfast love of God, their complete trust in Him. Deep within, I believe, the lessons of Moses resonated: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Even in the foreign land.
Especially in the foreign land.
This sustained them in their captivity. Worship had never left their hearts.
How can I be a weary traveler? The Lord God is with me
Jesus taught the same commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). He began speaking this to me in the gentle light of morning as the earth lay in silence.
Like the Israelites, I long to be free from the captivity of the enemy that threatens to consume me. I long for the secret place of the Lord, that happy, familiar place.
As I considered the ways of the Lord, His Spirit began to stir in me. He quickened His truth deep in my heart, reminding me that HE is within me. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; He dwells within me. He also dwells in you if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior.
The truth of God’s unfailing love, His abiding Presence, sets us free from the clutches of the enemy. Understanding who He is, loving Him by bringing our thoughts captive to Him — loving Him with all of our hearts — will break the chains that bind us.
Worship has never left my heart. My deep, deep love for the Lord has remained steadfast through this very difficult season. I now recognize the lies of the enemy taunting me to play him a song of Jerusalem, a song of my God in this foreign land, as he slinks away laughing.
Are you a weary traveler? God will carry you
But don’t you see? Worship has never left my heart. Satan’s lies are empty. His lies to you are empty, as well. During a season of difficulty riddled with more questions than answers, washed with salty tears, a genuine feeling of loss — God is there. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised to carry us as a father carries his child in the wilderness.
Psalm 138:7 reads, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will complete that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever…”
Sing for joy, weary traveler. God will carry you over to the other side step by step, strength by strength, grace by grace. Sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Selah
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
