Category: Bible (Page 55 of 356)

Our taxi driver, a man named Nacho with the forearms of a linebacker, picked us up at our hotel. I estimated the drive to the airport, with minimal traffic, would take 1 hour and 15 minutes. But I failed to account for foggy mountain roads and trucks hauling timber. I nervously checked the clock as we pulled out.

No need to worry. Driving like a bat out of hell, Nacho made it in 1 hour 8.

Nacho passed trucks, tourist buses, slower drivers and other taxis, all with the smooth grace of a Formula 1 driver. My wife prayed, while I enjoyed a man skilled at his work. When we arrived I offered him a generous tip. He first refused, but in my broken Spanish I explained it was for his muy rápido driving. Nacho laughed and gave me a big handshake, clearly pleased with the praise.

Hurling through the hills might not have been my chosen way to finish two weeks of peaceful walking, but the world arrives without my input.

While we hiked I thought on these lines from Psalm 121: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.

I remembered those words again after our wild gallop into Santiago. Just as the Lord kept my feet stable on the trail, he kept Nacho’s hands steady at the wheel. In whatever situation I find myself in, I can trust the Lord to keep watch.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo by Wes Hicks

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