Yes, Lord, I'm with you, though not always to you. Your grace has removed my natural distance from you. Now, in fellowship with you, I walk through this world as a pilgrim in a foreign land. You're a stranger in your own world. People forget, dishonor, and ignore you, creating their own rules and customs.

When Jesus came, his own people didn't receive him. He was in the world he made, yet it didn't recognize him. No foreigner was ever as out of place as your Son among his own. So it's no surprise that I, living as Jesus did, am also a stranger here.

Lord, I have no wish to belong where Jesus was a foreigner. His pierced hands have freed me from earthly ties. Here, I feel like a stranger. My words sound strange to those around me, my actions are misunderstood. A traveler would feel more at home than I do among the ways of sin.

But here's my comfort: I'm a stranger with you. You're my fellow traveler. What a joy to journey together! My heart burns when you speak to me, and though I'm a sojourner, I'm more blessed than those on thrones, more at home than those in grand houses. "I'm free from care on any shore, because God is there. Whether we seek or shun a place, true happiness is found only with God as our guide."