Pilgrim or Traveler? How to Go From Strength to Strength

Pilgrim or Traveler: How to Go From Strength to Strength Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min. WATCH TRIBUTE VIDEO FOR REV. HORACE BRYAN HUDSON   Psalms 84:5-7, Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength, each one appears before God in Zion. Based on Psalm 84:5–7, this message challenges believers to consider whether they are merely travelers moving through life for personal satisfaction or pilgrims moving with God-given purpose. The central text declares, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage… They go from strength to strength.” The sermon was also dedicated to Dr. Hudson’s father on the eve of his 90th birthday, connecting the message of pilgrimage, legacy, faith, and strength with the influence of previous generations. Faith Requires Hope Faith cannot function properly without hope. Drawing from Hebrews 11, the message defines hope as the picture of an expected outcome and faith as the substance that gives reality to that hope. Strong faith therefore requires strong, clear hope rooted in Scripture, God’s promises, purpose, and the testimony of what God has done in previous generations. Remembering history and legacy helps create those pictures of hope. Just as Israel carried stones from the Jordan River as a memorial of God’s faithfulness, believers should preserve testimonies of what God has done so future generations can develop hope and faith for themselves. Our Strength Is in God Psalm 84 teaches two essential truths: our strength is in God rather than ourselves, and our hearts should be set on pilgrimage rather than mere travel. Skills, knowledge, experience, and accomplishments must never cause believers to forget the One who supplied their strength. A pilgrimage is a journey with purpose. For the believer, pilgrimage is no longer primarily about traveling to a sacred geographical location. Because believers are complete in Christ, the pilgrimage is toward places of purpose, service, communion, and fulfillment of the will of God, and it is lived within covenant community. Pilgrim Versus Traveler The sermon presents an important contrast: The traveler seeks satisfaction in the moment; the pilgrim seeks purpose for a lifetime. Travelers primarily consume experiences for themselves; pilgrims move with purpose and look for opportunities to serve. Pilgrimage is not merely reaching a destination—it is living an entire journey according to God’s purpose. Dr. Hudson illustrates this through his six trips to Africa. Most were mission journeys focused on preaching, encouraging, feeding, helping, and strengthening people rather than sightseeing. The difference was purpose: he was there as a pilgrim, not simply as a traveler. Passing Through the Valley of Baca The Valley of Baca represents the difficult, dry, sorrowful, and sometimes tearful portions of a pilgrim’s journey. The sermon emphasizes that hardship is a normal part of purposeful living, but believers should distinguish between suffering encountered while following God and difficulties created through their own mistakes—what the sermon calls a “non-Baca valley.” When believers encounter a true Valley of Baca while pursuing God’s purpose, they do not simply endure it. Through God’s grace, they transform the difficult place into a spring. God may not have caused the hardship, but He can sustain His people through it and bring something beneficial from it. Turning Difficulty Into a Resource One of the sermon’s strongest pictures comes from pilgrims traveling through dry places. They would dig wells or shallow cisterns to capture groundwater, rain, or moisture. The water sustained them, but when they continued their journey, the resource remained for whoever came behind them. This becomes the deeper meaning of “strength to strength.” It is not simply: I received strength, and now I receive even more strength for myself. Rather: God gives me strength, and I use what He has given me to add strength to someone else. A pilgrim asks, “What can I do in this hard place that will become a spring for somebody coming behind me?” From Strength to Strength Means Blessing Others Going from strength to strength therefore has a generational and communal dimension. The believer's resources, experiences, lessons, victories, and even hardships can become resources that strengthen others. Rather than thinking only individually, believers are called to think about family, community, posterity, and the Kingdom of God. Dr. Hudson connects this principle with caregiving, observing what others had done for their parents and later applying lessons from those examples while caring for his own father. He also gives the contemporary example of New Covenant Church making space available to Mindful Pieces Behavioral Therapy, demonstrating that even while personally traveling through a difficult season, it is still possible to create a resource that blesses someone else. Pilgrimage Produces Legacy The ultimate goal of pilgrimage is not simply personal achievement but legacy. The sermon makes this important distinction: “An inheritance is what we leave to people. A legacy is what we leave within people.” A pilgrim therefore moves through life asking not only, “What can I receive?” but, “What can I leave behind that will strengthen somebody else?” The message closes with a confession of faith declaring: I am a pilgrim, not merely a traveler. My heart is set on pilgrimage. I move with purpose toward service, communion, and fulfillment of God’s will. When I pass through a Valley of Baca, God helps me transform difficulty into a resource for others. By His grace, I go from strength to strength—not merely gaining strength for myself, but creating springs and pools that add strength to others. Central Message A traveler passes through life consuming experiences. A pilgrim passes through life with purpose, allowing God to turn even difficult places into resources that bless others. Going “from strength to strength” means receiving strength from God and then using that strength to strengthen the people and generations coming behind us. And the supreme example of this purposeful pilgrimage is Jesus Christ, through whom every good thing is made possible. CONFESSION OF FAITH I am a Pilgrim, not only a traveler. My heart is set on pilgrimage, moving with purpose to places of purpose, service, communion, and fulfillment of the will of God.  I do not travel alone, but within covenant community. I am not a traveler who seeks satisfaction in the moment. I am a pilgrim whose heart seeks purpose for a lifetime.  Pilgrimage is a long journey of purpose. It is not only a destination, but a journey. When moving through a valley of Baca, God helps me transform the difficulty into a resource for others. By the grace of God, I go from strength to strength, not only gaining more strength for myself, but creating springs and pools as resources that add strength to others. As a pilgrim, I move with purpose to leave a legacy. Legacy is more than inheritance. An inheritance is what we leave to people. A legacy is what we leave within people. My example is the pilgrimage of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who makes every good thing possible.