The Sonshine
May 2021
by Walter Olsen

Introduction

When I think of the wilderness, I think of the time when I was about four years old picking raspberries with my mother in a wooded area I was not familiar with. Somehow, I got separated from her and was lost in the maze of trees and brush. It was a fearful experience! I didn’t know where I was nor did I know how to get out to find my way home. All I could do was to call for my mother. Thankfully, she was not far away and found me easily. I was greatly relieved. The woods we were in was not that far away from home nor was it all that big, but to me, at that age, it was awesome.

In our Christian lives, do we not sometimes get lost in the confusion and bustle of the world about us? It is easy to become spiritually disoriented and so lose our way. The result is, we become fearful and sometimes make some serious mistakes. We need a Shepherd in our Christian lives, and, thankfully, we have One!

The nation of Israel had a Shepherd who led them faithfully and safely through the wilderness. In the great Psalm of giving thanks to the Lord, the Psalmist gave thanks, “To Him which led His people through the wilderness” (Psa. 136:16). When we are lost in the wilderness, there is nothing more important than one who can lead us and show us the way out.