Psalm 84:5 New International Version (NIV): Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
Psalm 84:5 The Message (MSG): And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel
John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress while in prison. This children's book captures the struggle of "Christian" as he travels the road to the Celestial City. Pilgrim's Progress has become a timeless classic because its storyline resounds within the hearts of anyone who has been on a spiritual pilgrimage.
Wikipedia reported the following about John Bunyan, "He has the distinction of having written one of the most widely read books in the English language, and one which has been translated into more tongues than any book except the Bible. The charm of the work, which gives it wide appeal, lies in the interest of a story in which the intense imagination of the writer makes characters, incidents, and scenes alike live in that of his readers as things actually known and remembered by themselves."
Bunyan knew the power of personal pilgrimage. This preacher and author understood that God deep in His heart is a storyteller. The Bible is the story of mankind. It is your story. It is my story, and Bunyan drew deep parallel between the Bible and the journey of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress.
Bunyan spent years in prison for preaching the good news of the Gospel. Odly enough, God used Bunyan's time in prison to help him pen what would become his legacy and eternal gift to the family of God. Bunyan refused to capitulate to the pressure to keep silent. His voice cost him his temporary freedom, but it gave him eternal significance.
The story of Christian is the tale of every man. Consider reading this classic at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.html
