Christian Writers Circle

Grace to Proceed in Trust
Receive God’s Favor on Life’s Journey
By Brenda D. Flowers

Psalm 84:5, 11-12 NKJV
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage…
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! 

This summer, I am participating in a small group Bible study, focusing on the Psalms. A new friend, Cynthia, graciously invited me to join her and several other women in her home each Friday morning. By God’s prompting, I decided to attend.

Cynthia is leading the group as we journey more deeply into God’s Word. We are hungry to know the truth of God’s Word and to faithfully apply it in our lives. We want to grow in community to encourage each other as we pray for each other. I did not know any of the other women in this group until we started gathering together. But immediately I felt a unity of the Spirit. 

I see in God’s Word that God wants us to be on pilgrimage with Him and others. We are on mission as His faithful followers.

 When on earth, Jesus modeled His dependence and trust of His Heavenly Father.

As we are studying the Psalms in more depth together, we are realizing how Jesus and his disciples would have known the original lyrics and melodies of these songs and most likely would have sung them together as they were traveling.

Can you imagine Jesus and His disciples singing the words of the Psalms as they walked on paths to future destinations?

“O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

 Can you imagine how His disciples’ faith grew as Jesus shared stories of God’s faithfulness?

Jesus often quoted God’s Word to His disciples. He was led by His Father to share Truth with them.

Jesus knew His disciples would need help to live purposely with Him. He sent the Holy Spirit to help them stay on His prepared path for each of them.

By the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have God’s grace to live on mission with Him, too. We may endure hardships, but we can trust He is with us. We can proceed forward in our life, experiencing God’s favor and many blessings.

Father in heaven, I want to learn and grow to be more like Jesus, being on mission with Your guidance. Thank You for these readers. I trust You to give us Your grace, Your favor, as we step forward in faith on life’s purposeful pilgrimage. Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way.