Lonesome Dove

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23 (ESV)

In 1989 the epic mini series Lonesome Dove appeared on American television. This is probably one of the very best if not the very best western produced for television. My guess is that the big Screen has never viewed anything quite like this story.

I have done a fair amount of study about the Old West, the cattle drives, etc, and this story pretty well depicts what may have taken place in a very hard land crossed by very tough people. And this is the reality of the show. Demonstrated for the viewer is the heart of man in bone-chilling form. Not bone-chilling as in horror, but reality.

Indescribable human courage is depicted as the drovers move a herd of cattle across miles of wild and hostile land. There is the near inexhaustible human will accomplishing the near impossible.

Ethics, the principles and faithfulness that at one time were the primary guides for every man and woman in America are viewed in a harsh reality. The unforgotten principle of not tolerating a wrong, no matter how slight is demonstrated throughout. The basic elements of humanity are also seen in the horse thief and bank robber who murders and then burns the bodies of his victims.

But what the movie does not depict is the need for lonesome man in search for an all loving God. The reality is that most of these very hard men who did drive cattle across the harshest of unrelenting difficulties had no idea of who God is. And in the comfort of being a person being born into a Christian environment, I have the luxury of pronouncing an unmet and unmentioned need of those people. But your reality is different. You do know the Presence of God, and His unrelenting desire to be your Guide.

When David wrote this Psalm, we find that he is in a difficult situation, and we know this because he says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Something was going on in his life that causes him to write about death. But he drew great strength in knowing that his God is the Shepherd of his life…something that he lived as a boy. But now he is a warrior seeking deliverance from King Saul.

You and I have this day, no matter the difficulties of our 21st century, God as our Shepherd. We are not being pursued by a jealous and outraged enemy, and we do not drive our food to market….we drive in our air conditioned vehicle and shop in cool comfort for every necessity of life. No pain and suffering there. But, God is our Shepherd in our very stress-filled lives.

For those of us here in the States must remember that our family member, David, is in a reality at this very moment that none of us here will ever know. Pray for him and his warrior friends who are very much living out the harsh realities of the 23rd Psalm.

Think about us for the moment….Rebekah is nearing her 17th birthday preparing to go to college in 18 months…remember those days…you who have already travelled that street??? Robin and Robert are moving in with us…in Hope, Arkansas…entering a new phase of life….Kae-la and Greg finishing up college and re-entering college almost in the same breath…new challenges there, too. David and Lisa…separation beyond any comprehension that I have ever known. No doubt more stress and fear than any of us can understand at this moment in time.

But, each of us is able to reach out and know that our God is here with us. No matter the difficulty or horror of the moment, He is here with you. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”