June 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 119:57–64

Devotional

“I am a stranger in the earth.” This confession is so very rich, for a pilgrim has a fatherland; a pilgrim has an aim. While others are heading for destruction, the pilgrim is heading for heaven. Although he may feel quite at home in this world, he is heading for another place—his Canaan, his land of eternal rest. Blessed is he who confesses, “I am in this world, but I am not of it.” He confesses that the heart ties of sin have lost their strength. He can no longer feel at home in the world.

Sin no longer grips the pilgrim. But there are other ties on this side of the grave. These are the ties with those who also have become strangers to the world. The poet says in this psalm, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee.” He feels himself a stranger and a companion at the same time. He is not the only one on this journey. He has fellow travelers who are on the same road as he is, and who have the same destination. He has come across other people who have left the city of destruction and are now also on the way to the city that has foundations and whose builder is God. That which binds these travelers together is not some ideal or concoction of their own imagination. The binding factor is not a vague destination that they are not even sure about; their binding factor is their fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord binds God’s pilgrims together. This fear is not some panicky trepidation that moves them on. Their fear is not a fear of being afraid but of being in awe. They stand amazed at their Lord and desire to serve Him and more fully know His Name. On their journey, the pilgrims support, instruct, and comfort one another. That is how they recognize each other on the path to heaven. The fear of the Lord leads them to the same destination. Together they bow their heads because of their guilt. Together they rejoice in the deeds of the Lord. Together they eat of the same spiritual manna from heaven.

How about you? Have you become a stranger in this world? Do you have sweet bonds with those who fear the Lord?

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.