I HAVE BEEN A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

I have been a stranger in a strange land,

where my compass failed and every step was

labored and directionless. I prayed; I listened;

you said, Come out of the shadows. Barely

visible above a silhouetted slope, a gold-red

sliver broke the firmament, restored my

equilibrium, and gave me hope. Because I

asked, you spoke. Because you showed me

heaven’s glorious awakening, I promised, I will

follow you. Before the sun went down, I had

forgotten all of it, and even now, beset by

doubts, I wander off, disoriented, lost. Again

you take my hand and lead me from a

treacherous and twisted path onto a high,

straight, sunlit road. Friends wait, you say,

hospitably at this day’s journey’s end. And so it

is that to my left are shade at noontime and a

place to rest, and to my right, a dozen steps

beyond, fresh water gushes from a spring

between two ancient moss-clad stones. In you

I lack for nothing; I have all I need. With you

beside me, I am not alone. I lean upon your

strength; it never stumbles. Night holds neither

mystery nor terror, though the moon is dark,

the stars dim. At the cusp of morning, redbirds

interrupt the silence with their song, and

poplars and acacias whisper, Carry on—

anticipating dawn.

Amen.