I was reading
Psalm 23 once again and I was reminded that no matter how carefully the shepherd
prepares the way, the sheep still get bruised and wounded by the thorns and
thistles. At the end of each day, the shepherd gently rubs the healing oil onto
the wounds of the sheep. The psalmist squarely faces the reality of evil and
suffering in this world. Even those who follow the shepherd endure the pain of
living in a world such as ours. Sometimes we are wounded by the effects of our
own sin, but often we are hurt by being a part of a world where suffering is a
reality and where it rains on the just and the unjust.
Though the sheep
may wander from the path the shepherd does not scold the sheep for their
wounds. He tends to the wounds. This is a portrait of a forgiving, gracious
God who really does care for His children. No wonder the psalmist lives with a
sense of a life overflowing with blessing. His gratitude is not dependent on
what happens to him, but rather on the God Who in Jesus Christ is our Eternal
Companion, who makes all things beautiful in His time. Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever. (Psalms 23:6 ) We are
people on a journey growing in our relationship with the God who makes Himself
supremely known through Christ Jesus.
Though we may
wander or even try to hide, God is actively pursuing us with His grace and His
loving kindness. What a God! He's not in hiding. He is always seeking out His
children.
Some people
believe in God as being distant, reluctant, and uninvolved. J.B. Phillips has
reminded us in his provocative little book that often Your
God Is Too Small. The problem for many is
not atheism. It's that our God is too limited.
To have a life worth living we need a God Who is worth serving. When Paul wrote his second letter to young Timothy, he shared a God that was big enough for the storms and stresses of life: "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12 ). The
promise of God's presence is for now and forever. "And I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever."
Nothing brought more joy to the Israelites than to worship in God's House, but imagine the joy of those of us with faith in Jesus Christ. For us the end is only the beginning! "We shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
To have a life worth living we need a God Who is worth serving. When Paul wrote his second letter to young Timothy, he shared a God that was big enough for the storms and stresses of life: "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (
Nothing brought more joy to the Israelites than to worship in God's House, but imagine the joy of those of us with faith in Jesus Christ. For us the end is only the beginning! "We shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
In Christ the
Winsome Shepherd.
Brown
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