 I was perusing my computer today and came across this writing that I shared with a group of young adults back in 2013. My father passed away on January 6, 2014 but this still rings true. Be encouraged and keep moving forward.
"God is all about refreshment. Psalm 23:2 says in the New Living Bible, “He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.” The job of the shepherd is to move the sheep from the pin to the grazing field and back again at nightfall, seemingly a mindless and monotonous role. But it’s hot outside in the fields with no shade and the sun is bearing down with such intensity that one can hardly stand it. The shepherd himself is weary and the sheep, well the sheep have slowed their progress down to a crawl. It seems as though the journey will never end. Something is needed, something to make this journey a little easier. What’s needed is water. The cool, refreshing, thirst quenching, energy boosting water. And look, just ahead is a stream, a rushing stream, bursting with that cool, lovely source of refreshment. But unfortunately the shepherd cannot lead the sheep in that direction. He tries, but they refuse to go that way. They refuse because there is something about sheep that make them terrified of swiftly moving water. Their heavy coats act as sponges and become so saturated that the little animals are dragged to the bottom. This makes it difficult, if not impossible to lead a sheep to swiftly moving water. It is, however the business of the shepherd to see that his flock is supplied with the refreshment that they need to survive. So the shepherd often finds himself stilling the waters or making them peaceful. If there are no pools or still waters, the shepherd must make some, sometimes by using rocks and pieces of sod from the bank to prepare a little dam across the swiftly moving stream. And slowly but surely a small, quiet pool forms and the sheep move forward without fear and are refreshed. Isn’t that what God does for us as well? Our little stream of life is on a rampage. It rushes by with frightening speed and noise and the spray of it all is hitting us right in the face. We can’t see, we can’t hear, we’re confused and afraid. And just then, the greatest Shepherd moves into the situation and makes the waters peaceful and still. Suddenly we find ourselves being refreshed by the very thing that would have otherwise ruined us. Last Thursday my dad was diagnosed with a rare and very progressive form of lymphoma. Without treatment, the doctors spoke of a life expectancy of 7-10 days. Needless to say, the little, slowly moving stream of our family life has suddenly transformed into a raging river. In the midst of that raging river I can attest that the Good Shepherd has stepped into my life on a couple of occasions and blessed me with at least a few minutes of quiet, still water. At the end of the hospital hallway where my dad has spent the last several days there is a little chapel. Yesterday as my parents sat in that chapel visiting with friends who had stopped by, I found myself alone with my Bible in my father's hospital room. As I spent the next 45 minutes reading through the Scriptures, I was suddenly overwhelmed with what I can only describe as a hopeful peace. As I was driving to the hospital yesterday I heard a song on the radio by Kutless called, “Even If”. Read these lyrics. "Even If" Sometimes all we have to hold on to Is what we know is true of who You are So when the heartache hits like a hurricane That could never change who You are And we trust in who You are Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come Lord we know Your ways are not our ways So we set our faith in who You are Even though You reign high above us You tenderly love us We know Your heart And we rest in who You are Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come You’re still the Great and Mighty One We trust You always You’re working all things for our good We’ll sing your praise Even if the healing doesn’t come And life falls apart And dreams are still undone You are God You are good Forever faithful One Even if the healing Even if the healing doesn’t come You are God and we will bless You As the Good and Faithful One You are God and we will bless You Even if the healing doesn’t come Even if the healing doesn’t come The whole question of whether life’s experiences are going to be times of refreshing or times of ruin is determined by whether or not we constantly recognize the presence of the shepherd. Do you recognize the presence of the shepherd in your life? " Comments are closed.
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