Psalm 107:33-37

He turns a desert into pools of water;
And there he lets the hungry live;
They sow fields, and plant vineyards, and 
A parched land into springs of water.
And they establish a town to live in;
Get a fruitful yield.


I have never really looked forward to the trip into the desert that is Lent. As the children are told are told in Godly Play, “the desert is a dangerous place” and I fear the hunger, the thirst, and the sandstorms.

My daughter, however, stands at the threshold of the wilderness season and draws. In her vision dunes of sand the color of sunshine, of molten gold, roll across the page, A house, brilliant orange, stands in the middle and, within the house there is a table, and on the table sits a bucket.

“What is in the bucket?” I ask. 

“Water from the lake,” she answers.

“Where is the lake?”

“Behind the house next to the beautiful garden.”

Not for the first time she is wiser than I am. She knows the stories of the people of God and the desert is where God provides all that is needed. Water, food, love, and beauty bloom in the midst of barrenness that is transformed by God’s presence. This desert is a place where I can walk and pray and live.

- Kathleen Knaack