Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 32:1-2 (English Standard Version)

1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
and princes will rule in justice.
2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,
a shelter from the storm,
like streams of water in a dry place,
like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.

The prophet relays from God how life will be when the people are righteous. Life in the land will be right and just.

I love the final line; I love the description of the shade of a great rock.

I was fortunate to have spent a week inside the Grand Canyon. I was fortunate and unfortunate that I was there in early July. The temperature was about 110 F—all day.

Now and then, here and there, I was able to stand in the shade of a great rock. Wonderful. Marvelous. Magnificent relief from the heat of the direct sun.

That is life with people who live according to the precepts of God. Righteousness. Let us be the shade to one another in a weary land.