A group of us are preparing to walk part of the Camino de Santiago in late May and we have been busy preparing here in Northern Ireland with some wonderful walks and building relationships with each other.
Yesterday we walked up the side of Slieve Croob, County Down as a circular route, the weather patchy but probably nothing compared to the Pyrenees!
The views on a clear day are breath taking, (but not today). You can normally see Scotland, The Isle of Man, Lough Neagh etc etc. It’s an area I have personally come to love over many years and with Jude we used to have picnics at the top & fall asleep under the summer sun.
I have written about the Stone of Departure in the past but I can’t seem to find my original notes. I felt yesterday for a few moments to take the lads to a rather large granite stone just slightly over from the summit and share a few words.
Earlier in the week I had been reminded of the Stone of Ezel in 1 Samuel 20:19. David was waiting to hear from Jonathan about whether or not it was safe for David to return to King Saul. King Saul was very jealous of David & he was plagued by an evil spirit sent by God. He was on the war path to eliminate David, who was destined to become Israel’s next king.
David was hiding by the Stone Ezel to await the outcome. Jonathan on his return from his father would get a young boy to collect some arrows he had shot in the direction of the stone. The boy didn’t know David was there but the landing of the arrows gave David the sign whether he was welcome back or not. The arrows went ahead of the stone which meant Saul was looking to have David’s head if he caught him. David had to depart, leave the area and go on the run.
Nothing is wasted in the scriptures. The Stone Ezel means Departure or Showing the Way, and for a few moments I shared some practical aspects of this word and how we can find ourselves sometimes in a tight spot looking for Direction. These times can come while under severe pressure but because of the Providence of God we can trust Him in guiding our footsteps if we simply acknowledge Him in all our ways. Prov 3:5-6
It takes courage to step out even if it seems we are on the run like David……BUT what a Destiny awaits !!
Jude Gray 