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. – Psalm 84:5-6

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 20, 2016): Psalm 84

Mecca, the holiest city of Islam, is found in the middle of a desert valley. By just the description of the climate of Mecca, the valley has to qualify as among the most inhospitable places on the planet. The Average High at Mecca in the dead of winter is above 30 C. or 86 F. And in the summer, temperatures stretch toward the mid 40’s C. or above 110 F. Added to the heat of the city, there is almost no rain. During the early summer months of May, June and July, you might experience one day of rain. Might, if luck is with you. Yet it is in this unexpected place that Islam’s most holy city is found. Mecca is an oasis, a spring of blessing to the Muslims that has sprung up in the middle of the inhospitable desert.

Mecca is found in the Valley of Bakkah. It is no wonder that Muslim theologians have long looked at Psalm 84 and have found an image of themselves staring back at them. To them, Psalm 84, written during the time of David, is a prophecy of a faith and a practice that was still 1500 years away from becoming a reality. To the Muslim it is an amazing reassurance of the unity of God that the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca is found even in the pages of the Hebrew Bible.

It is not surprising that Christian and Hebrew theologians disagree. To them, the Valley of Baka is a symbolic and mythical place of suffering. It is called the Valley of Weeping. They can’t imagine that there was ever a valley like the one mentioned in this Psalm. To them, the Valley of Weeping refers to any time of sorrow, weeping and loss that the child of God is forced to move through. And we need to know that even in the Valley of Baka, God is present. And his presence can make the Valley of Baka change into a place filled with the springs of praise and thanksgiving.

And I believe that. But I also think there is unimaginable power in the idea that The Valley of Bakkah exists around Mecca. I know, the three Abrahamic faiths have imagined the God of Abraham very differently. All three faiths seem to spend so much time arguing that the God that they serve is not the same God as the God of the others. Admittedly, I have never really understood the need for the arguments. In origin, the three Gods seem to be the same even if they are extremely different by description. But let me speak strictly as a Christian for a moment and please try not to take offense at my words. I do not intend to offend anyone. But is it really that much of a surprise for the God that we believe in to say to us that he is present, even in the Valley of Baka – and in the Valley of Bakkah. Isn’t this Psalm a reassurance of what we believe, that our God is present everywhere – even in Mecca.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 85

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my Daughter-in-law Michelle.