Essentials for the Faith Journey

Hiking is a physical pilgrimage that parallels the spiritual faith journey in challenges and adventure. In our eagerness
to start a hike in the dense forest on the Napali Coast of Hawaii, Rick and I neglected to take an essential with us—water.
The heat, humidity, and sun bore down, gradually sapping our strength, but still we pushed on to see how much trail we could walk. Sometimes we clung to trees for balance; occasionally we found a cave for a brief, cool rest.

On our return journey, we met some hikers just starting into the cliffs and valleys. They were serious hikers; each had a water pack carrier. We must have looked exhausted to them — muddy, panting, and sweating profusely.

“Need a drink?” one asked.

How gracious of them to share! I didn’t want to deplete their supply, but I felt parched and desperately needed water.

Though it wasn’t much, sipping tepid water infused new strength into my weary body and improved my attitude. The brief drink and encouragement of fellow hikers made it easier to complete our trek.

Refreshment for the faith journey is necessary.

If this step is not taken, there can be consequences similar to not being prepared for a long hike. Essential sources of spiritual refreshment need to be included on our faith journey.  If they are not taken along, we can also feel frustrated and depleted. Spiritual refreshment comes from four sources — the Word of God, prayer, worship, and fellowship.

Reading the Word of God and meditating on it gives strength to the soul.

We learn about the character of God as the Bible feeds our minds and souls.

Psalm 1 states “blessed are those but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Prayer is essential to connect our hearts to God on our faith journey.

It is the language of our relationship with Him as two friends sharing their hearts. Our words don’t have to be eloquent. The power isn’t in the person praying; the power comes from the Lord. He wants to hear from us, as we give our cares to Him.

First Peter 5:7 offers the hope of prayer: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Worship is also essential for refreshment and refocusing on our faith journey.

When our eyes are lifted from the struggle of the journey and focused on the Almighty One we gain a new perspective as we remember the greatness of God.It is good to be rejuvenated by quiet moments of worship, even in the busyness of our daily lives.

Psalm 103:1-5 is a great reminder for us:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Fellowship with others encourages us on the faith journey.

God created us with a need for others. A mature believer is farther along the journey than we are, and can teach us about faith. A newer believer is behind us, whom we can encourage. In our hiking story, the experienced hikers cheered us on to finish. Near the end of our hike we met someone starting out on the trail. We encouraged them to look forward to breathtaking sights. Fellowship strengthens our resolve to progress when the way gets tough.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Refreshment on our faith journey in the Word of God, prayer, worship and fellowship with others. When we remember to take those actions on our pilgrimage through life, we gain strength from the Lord.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

Are you equipped with the essentials for the faith journey?

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This blog post contains excerpts from The Grace Impact, available here.