This week me and my wife and a group of soon-to-be friends embark on the Camino de Santiago. We will hike the final portion of the trail, covering 70 miles in 6 days. This is our fifth group to lead, and we’re super excited. Long days of unhurried walking make for unique bonding experiences.

For twelve hundred years, people in search of God walked this same path. As the years passed, Psalm 121 became known as the Pilgrim’s Psalm:

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil—he will watch over your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

The words of the psalmist sink deep into the heart of a pilgrim, walking mile after mile towards an unknown destination.

Of course, you don’t have to walk the Camino de Santiago to appreciate these verses. We all journey as a pilgrim through life, and it’s good to remember who to look to for help.

Camino de Santiago 2023

Photo by Beth, a friend and past pilgrim