Nevertheless
the Christian Pilgrimage
Scripture Reading: Psalm 73:23-24
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward, you will receive me to glory.
If you want a simple and brief summation of the Christian life, this is a good one. Wherever we go, whatever we do, through every triumph and in every trouble, God is with us in Jesus Christ. He holds our hand to comfort us in our distress, to keep us from falling when we stumble and pulls us along when we are hesitant or recalcitrant.
He guides us with his counsel. Yes, he gives us commands to obey, but he speaks to us as rational, mature people with whom He is a loving friend. He does not treat us as robots whose only need is to be told what to do. Instead, we are counseled and given freedom to respond in wisdom, and thereby enjoy the fruits of listening or the consequences of closing our ears to God’s guidance.
God walks with us on this pilgrimage we call life. There is an old song written by Rich Mullins in which he sings, “Step by step he leads me, and I will follow him all of my days.” That’s the Christian life in a nutshell.
This life is headed somewhere. At the end of it, whether that comes after many years and gray hair, or when a life is cut short by an accident or affliction; we – that is the Christian – will come to the gates of heaven. We will be welcomed in. God himself will receive us to glory.
Now, consider all of this in the context. Verse 23 begins with the word “nevertheless.” Why does the writer say that? Because in the verses just preceding the ones I just commented on he describes himself as bitter, brutish, and ignorant like a beast toward God…Nevertheless…
That is grace. Look at your life and see all that is wrong with it, all that falls short of what it ought to be, all that you know isn’t measuring up, and rejoice that “nevertheless…”
Nevertheless, God in Christ is still with you, He still has your hand, he is still giving you counsel, and He is still going to receive you to glory when this life is over.
