Until I moved to North Africa, shepherds were just part of historical fiction, in stories such as the Nativity or David and his lessons from the fields. Having now lived in a country with many shepherds, I feel some measure of the reality in their lives. In winter, they are out in the sun as much as possible, but watching from my car windows, they appear bored and languid most of the time. In summer, they often approach the road, holding an empty bottle or motioning that they are thirsty. Summer is hard work on the edges of the Sahara, and this is when shepherds move their flocks to places where there is enough vegetation to sustain life. In winter, the sheep come home every night to a pen, often inside the family’s courtyard.

This leads me to believe that Jesus was born in the summer season, given that the shepherds were out by night. And they were probably away from home, maybe living in tents for the season. Perhaps, like the shepherds I see here, they were bored by a rather uninteresting life style.

But did that give them time to think, ponder, look up and ask good questions? And if so, is that ever what is going on in the minds of shepherds we pass along our route? Does their lethargic exterior mask an active imagination, and if not….could my prayers make a difference?

I pray for shepherds on a regular basis, asking that they would have visions and dreams of the same Messiah who was announced by angels to those unnamed sheep-herders 2000 years ago. I pray that there would be a hurry in their steps, as they seek out truth and that when they glimpse the Prince of Peace, it would turn their world upside down… It happened once, so I know it could happen again. Can you join me in my prayers for the shepherds today?