Category: Bible (Page 48 of 349)

As you travel the final segments of the Camino de Santiago you enter a Lord of the Rings forest. Massive trees surround you, covered with moss and shielding the undergrowth from the sun. There you walk an ancient path carved over a thousand years.

Pilgrims trudge along, farmers drive their cattle back and forth to fields, and rains erode the path. The faithful carry mud on their boots to points around the globe. All the while, the path endures.

The way of Jesus endures much like this trail. In some parts of the world the faith appears tenuous, while in others it expands and strengthens. But year after year the work of the Lord forms the ground upon which we move—even if we fail to notice.

The psalmist prayed, you make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).

Along the path to Santiago one senses God’s presence. Here lies a thin place between the heavenly and earthly realms. The Lord works quietly, eroding our misconceptions and faithlessness, helping us turn toward him and follow.

Sometimes it helps to get into a quiet forest, along a long path etched into the earth by millions of fellow seekers, to hear a hint of his whisper.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: Section of Camino de Santiago path

I have walked sections of the Camino de Santiago several times. This week, however, I traveled a route new to me. I enjoyed fresh sights, climbed surprising hills and hiked down to the ocean. These were paths my feet had not traveled before.

But generations before me walked these tracks in pursuit of a connection with God, and generations will follow. Isaiah speaks of such peoples when he describes how the Lord subdues kings who oppose Him, and makes a way for those who follow:

He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD – with the first of them and with the last – I am he (Isaiah 41:3-4).

The Lord led the first generation of pilgrims, and he calls forth his followers today. In the future, right up until the sound of his trumpet, the Lord will move with those who walk with him.

It matters not if our path is well-grooved or not yet traveled. The Lord promises to carry us through, from the first until the last.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: Boardwalk to the sea at the end of the Camino

In my preparations for the Camino de Santiago I packed a headlamp with fresh batteries. A number of pilgrims enjoy waking up early and walking before dawn. I’ve not been tempted toward this practice, but walking the trail in the dark requires illumination.

A good consequence of packing a headlamp is that time every time I rummage through my bag I notice it and think of this verse:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

Like the brightest headlamp, the Good Book illuminates the winding paths of our life. Best to keep the Scriptures handy when your trail leads into the dark.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: My headlamp ready for the dark

Our day started drippy, and soon a full scale storm moved across the landscape. My wife and I walked thirteen miles through heavy gales and pelting rain. This leg of the Camino promised beautiful scenery, but I saw little of it with my head inside a poncho bent against the wind.

An unrelenting shower ran down my legs, filling my waterproof shoes. I squished through the afternoon and wrung enough water out of my socks at the end of the day to fill a small glass. Our blissful day of strolling turned into a slog.

Which (after drying out) makes for a good reflection on life. A day of pleasant hiking turned into a gut-it-out experience. However, as I walked past field after field of newly planted corn peeking from the ground, I realized that as I cursed under my breath, nearby farmers luxuriated in the glorious rain falling on their crops.

I’m reminded of this line from Jesus — God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

I’m not sure if I’m among the just or the unjust—I’ll find out when the time comes. But I can rest assured that just as a good harvest springs from showers dropping across Spain, good eventually emerges from the rains that fall in our lives.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: Rows of new corn along the Camino route