Key Quote
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
(Ps.84:5-6)
Notes
Walking is used in the Bible as a metaphor for living daily life in relationship with God, a life of faith and obedience. We walk with God. If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to walk. But sometimes we can get stuck, and stop walking.
The story of Jesus healing a paralysed man (in John 5:1-8) provides us with some points on how Jesus can set us free from ‘paralysing mindsets’ and Trevor Lloyd shares here about that. He shows how we all, at times, need to hear the words of Jesus – ‘stand up, pick up your mat and walk.’ How we all have to learn not to wait for others or for a special moment but to take responsibility for ourselves and start walking. Instead of waiting and watching a pool, we create springs and pools in the wilderness of our world as we walk as pilgrims through this world (see Psalm 84).
Questions
If it helps, here are some questions to guide your discussion (but don’t be limited by them):
- What are some of the ‘paralysing mindsets’ that can cause us to get stuck in our walk with God?
- What does it mean to ‘stand up’ and ‘pick up our mats’?
- How do you understand what ‘walking with God’ means and how can it help to make us pool creators?
There is a PDF version of this here.