The Shepherd's Love
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23: 1-4
23: 1-4
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
These four verses speak great words of comfort for all who know the Shepherd. These words of comfort are even more necessary and comforting on days such as today.
The Lord is your Shepherd, because of this you lack nothing. He is ever present and always listening to the needs and pains you may have. As a shepherd watches and tends sheep, the Lord watches and tends you.
He is always present and available to provide shelter and care to you, which is even more needed today.
He will give you rest, as He has given Ava rest. She I believe, is in those green pastures enjoying every moment. She has rest now and no longer hurts or has the misery of not being able to do what she once did.
Ava is by those still waters with the full restoration of her soul. The Lord offers you restoration today also. Your soul is grieving for your loss and the Lord knows and offers great peace for you.
Now you are walking through the shadow of death. You are still here while Ava is gone. This is the valley of the shadow of death. You are in it and since you are, the Shepherd is here with you walking with you and that is why you can stand strong.
Jesus also walked through this valley into death’s arms for us and Ava. This is one reason why we can have comfort and peace even in death and grief. We have a savior who has gone this path and has gone to prepare a place for us after His resurrection, which means He defeated death which is also why death is nothing but a shadow.
Christ is in victory over death and since He is, we only pass through the shadow of death. The pain and grief is still there and ever present because death is not the natural way things were supposed to go. We hurt but the Lord gives us great comfort when we look to Him for it.
I know this from this Psalm and from John 14:1-4
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Let not your hearts be troubled. Jesus was consoling the disciples before He even went to the cross and died.
He was telling them that even in death the separation is not permanent.
Death does separate us for a spell, but all who are in Christ will see one another again, just as Jesus told the disciples that night.
He went and prepared a place for us. Ava is in her place now and we too will all be in our place sometime sooner than we all think.
We all have longings for places we have loved being at. We all have memories of the past of joy’s we had. I am sure each of you have memories of times with Ava, and these are all gifts from the Lord to help you in grief.
But these memories are all longings for times and places gone by. Now, in this text Jesus tells us of a place that will be of more than any past memory.
This place that Ava has already seen and is enjoying is a place of extraordinary joy, beauty, peace, and comfort. It is a place that we all want and desire.
It is a place of pure satisfaction and joy.
No pain.
No heartache.
No illness.
No hurts.
Only joy, peace, comfort, and happiness.
And even more amazing is that Jesus went to prepare it and since He did, all of us who are His will be there with Him. What a beautiful and comforting thought to have as we today travel through the valley of the shadow of death. We know death is only a shadow because the Light of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ, tells us we will be with Him in glory.
That is comfort and peace for days like today, but truthfully this is joy and peace for every day in this rough and tumble world.
So, I say as Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Trust in Jesus and let Him give you comfort. He will deliver more than anyone else could even if they had a thousand lifetimes to deliver.
He is the way you deal with grief and pain. He is the way forward from this moment on until you meet Him and Ava again.
Trust in that and trust that the Good Shepherd will carry you through until the appointed time that you go onto glory.