| Dear Friends, In order to see your life clearly, the way God sees it, you need to see your life and live your life in the light of Eternity. Life is not all there is. The truth is, we are strangers here on earth-Psalm 119:19. We are pilgrims just passing through. Psalm 84 helps us to have the mindset of a pilgrim that is just passing through. Verses 1-4 tells us that us that while we are in our temporary home we should live with a passion for God’s presence. To live life disconnected from God’s presence is to then live for that which is only temporary. To live life disconnected from God’s presence is to live for things which will never satisfy you long-term. To live disconnected from God’s presence is to wander through life and come up empty. Everything is meaningless apart from a relationship with God. Everything. It is our connection with God that gives us a sense of identity, purpose, and passion for life. Verses 5-8 remind us to live with a reliance on God’s power. True pilgrims who are pursing God’s presence and who are living with eternity in mind can make the pilgrimage and not lose strength, not lose heart. In fact, they can go from strength to strength, even in the “Valley of Baca” (the Valley of Tears). Finally, as we move toward this temporary existence towards our eternal home, verses 9-12 tell us we can trust God to protect and provide for us as we move toward eternity. I am not talking about a one-time trust, but a moment by moment trust, a walk of trust, an unbroken commitment to follow where He leads and reliance on Him to provide. But what happens sometimes is when we go through the Valley and want something to make us feel better immediately, something to divert our hearts and minds from the pain, something to take the edge off of our suffering we stop trusting in God and look to those earthly, temporary things to satisfy us. Whether it is a relationship, a drug, a bottle of alcohol, a sexual fantasy, a gambling escapade or a credit card shopping binge, we shift our minds and hearts from our eternal Provider in an effort to guide our own lives out of the valley. It never works. It just takes our strength and keeps us in the valley longer than we would have been had we not taken charge. Our trust in God, moment by moment, will dictate the quality of our walk as pilgrims in this land. Rather than rely on our own understanding let’s seek the presence of God. It will sustain us. Let’s rely on His power. It will transform us. Let’s allow Him to protect and provide for us. It will satisfy us! Let’s place our hand in His hand and not let go. Something greater. Something beautiful is waiting for us. Live in the light of eternity and the reality that this is just our temporary home. Pastor Melissa
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