The Silent, Lonely Wilderness

The 23rd Psalm takes on new meaning when read in the Judean Wilderness.  We stood in this spot today and let the Psalmist speak to us. With Saint George's monastery nestled in the foreground and the wilderness stretching to the horizon, and with a real shepherd just behind us, we came to new understanding of the shepherd.

There are over 500 references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible. The Psalm is a significant connector to The Lord who is our shepherd.  This Psalm is a job description of a good shepherd.  In a wilderness such as this, the good shepherd knows the green pastures are on a northern slope away from the heat of the burning southern exposure. The good shepherd knows the right paths that will keep the sheep from dropping into the shadow of the valley of death. The good shepherd knows the still waters where a sheep can step in without the water running through the wool and weighing the sheep down so much that it will drown. The good shepherd knows the sheep by name and they know the shepherd. The good shepherd has cooling oil on the ready with which the  head of the sheep can be anointed. The good shepherd supplies all that the sheep need and want.

Such is the caring compassionate love and grace of our shepherd. With a Lord who is that kind of shepherd for us, we too can know that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, even in the midst of some of those days that are silent and lonely.  In fact, it is on those days that the shepherd is especially good at supplying our wants and needs if we but ask.

The desert is restful and renewing. Our days here restore our souls.

Blessings
Mary