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We cannot just run and escape the world hiding out on God’s mountain.

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Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
    that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I had my dwelling
    among those who hate peace.
I am for peace,
    but when I speak, they are for war!

Meshek and Kedar are distant lands poetically representing the ways of the world. Here, the Psalmist yearns for peace as he lives among the reality of war. He feels the tension between the way things ought to be and the way things actually are. Then, longing to leave the ways of the world behind, this pilgrim turns his face toward Jerusalem.

This is often times our reality, too. We see the world in which we live and we desire something better. We desire to leave certain worldliness behind and move toward a newness in God—whether this be literally moving to a new place, or spiritually moving in the sense of adopting a new outlook, letting go of the past, or recognizing a needed change within.

In turning, we press on toward worshiping God. Yet, we cannot just run and escape the world hiding out on God’s mountain. A pilgrimage would climax at the peak, but there would also be an eventual return. This second turn doesn’t mean we go back to the way things were, rather it means returning changed. We take the first turn toward pilgrimage – toward a genuine encounter with God, but not without the second turn where we step back into our world changed. Today, pray for the Lord to reveal what you need to leave behind and what action is needed to come back changed.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Cole Comstock

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