Comforted by the Miracle of God’s Presence
The need we all have for being comforted is expressed by one of my poetic prayers for God’s guidance in times of trouble: “Let this be our prayer when we lose our way, or shadows fill our day: Oh Lord, lead us to a place, guide us with your grace, and renew our faith, so we’ll be safe.”
Six Psalms of David speak to our need for God’s comfort as prophesied by Isaiah: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Shout for joy, o heavens, rejoice, o earth, for the Lord comforts his people . . . Prepare ye the way of the Lord”, and fulfilled by the tidings of great joy announced by the angels: “for unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
What better psalm to begin with than the best-known and best- loved of them all? Psalm 23 . . . (1) “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Very interesting: King David rejected the title “Shepherd King” ascribed to him by the people in favor of ascribing it to the Lord his God!
You’d have to “be one to know one”, wouldn’t you? Since shepherding is not an occupation we are familiar with, we rely on second-hand information to understand why David thought of God as his Shepherd.
What I learned from a shepherd in Scotland was: the lot of a sheep depends on the type of man who owns it. Under one keeper, the sheep might struggle and be fearful, while under another they might thrive and be content.
Like David, when we say “The Lord is my Shepherd”, we are saying that we are content . . . because our Shepherd chose us, bought us, calls us by name, makes us his own, and delights in taking care of us!
You might say that we’re like the little girl who raised her hand in class and volunteered to recite the 23rd Psalm at the invitation of the teacher. She proudly stood before the class and said: “The Lord is my shepherd, that’s all I want.”
Like a good shepherd, our Lord loves us . . . went to a great deal of trouble to provide for us . . . shelters us from the storms of life . . . protects from enemies that would discourage us and deny us security.
My awareness that “God is watching over me” comforts me! Yet, to my heart and mind there comes an even greater measure of comfort when I remember the words of my Lord and Savior: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). He gave His life for me! What a comfort!
(2) “He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters.” What I learned was: a strange thing about sheep is that they will refuse to lie down unless four conditions are met: no fear . . . no tension . . . no aggravation . . . no hunger.
Compare the emotions of a sheep with your own. They and we may be easily frightened but nothing quiets our fears like knowing our Shepherd is near.
When plagued by the parasites of uncertainty and the unknown, we can be sure that our Lord is with us. He “has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (I Timothy 1:7). Claim it! Our Shepherd provides us with spiritual vitality that keeps us free from fear . . . tension . . . aggravation . . . hunger. We can lie down unafraid.
Furthermore, the sheep avoids drinking from noisy, turbulent water but, to survive, the sheep satisfies its thirst by drinking from a slow-flowing, quiet stream. We who belong to the Great Shepherd have learned to come apart from the noisy turbulence of the “outside” world into the safe haven of Christ who told us, “If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37).
(3) “He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.” What I learned was that shepherds use the term “cast” sheep in reference to a sheep that has turned over on its back and can’t get back up; it happens often, and, if the shepherd does not arrive within a short time, the sheep could die – one reason why a shepherd always looks over his flock, counting them to make sure they are all on their feet. If one is missing, he thinks, “One of my sheep is cast and I’ve got to find it.”
When we find ourselves “on our backs” - helpless and in need of being restored - in his love and in his pity our Lord reassuringly speaks to our hearts and gently but patiently prods us into remembering who He is and what He has done for us. He helps us regain our spiritual perspective and to rely on His promise of a safe place!
What I learned was: Sheep like to be left alone but, if they are, they will graze on the same hillside until it turns to wasteland or they will wander off. A shepherd must guide them, prod them, and move them on to greener pastures.
“All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6). And one of the blessings of being a follower of Christ is that we serve a Shepherd who does not drive us but teaches us, in word and in deed, how to live and love.
We, like the Apostle Peter, whose heart of love was restored after his denial, have learned that Christ left us an example to follow. He is the Way! So we say:
(4) “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff comfort me.”
This verse strikes a new tone. Attention is now directed toward the writer (David) and the reader (you and me). As individuals, we have to understand that there are valleys in life through which we go – the most striking of which is death – unknown as to timing, of a certainty as to occurrence.
Our assurance is that, even though we do not go through this experience accompanied by a spouse, or a friend, or a relative, or a beloved minister, we do have the option of going through the valley with Christ or alone. In Christ we have hope. Apart from Him, we have none. My hope is Christ crucified, risen, coming again. My Lord will be with me! I will be with Him!
Folks, I’m not worried about safety when my time comes to go home. As a youngster, I often felt alone and afraid at night – on my way home in the dark and sometimes at home when all the lights were out - but my fears changed nothing.
Now that I am old and have learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart, not only has my home address changed but my fear of any evil that might befall me on my way home is no more. I will not be “whistling in the dark”!
The shepherds’ rod, used as a weapon of defense, and his staff, used as a tool for rescuing from danger as well as reaching out to steer a sheep in the right direction are both symbolic of the Lord’s authority and power over anyone or anything that might seek to destroy us or deter us. Comforting!
(5) “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
In the same way that, in the spring time, the high plateaus (“mesas”) are the greenest and finest of all grazing fields – the kind which sheep long for and the shepherd takes them to after he has gone up there to make ready – the Lord my Shepherd can be depended upon to prepare the place He promised those of us who, having been bought with a price, have committed our way unto Him.
Folks: Our Lord takes care of His own. On the way home, there may be some “aggravations”, but just as surely as the shepherd concocted a medicinal oil to apply to the sheep’s skin and scabs to ward off the flies and gnats or to ease the pain, we can be sure that, come what may, we are in such “good hands” that the promised blessings that await us will far exceed what we need!
(6) “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”
Surely, by now, it has occurred to you and me that, since all who call upon the name of the Lord and commit their way unto Him are indeed “the sheep of His pasture”, we occupy a privileged position of contentment!
As for me, I need no other argument . . . no other plea . . . no other search for a way to glory! I have no desire whatsoever for any change other than the one that occurred when Jesus came into my heart.
It is enough that Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem . . . grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man . . . proclaimed the Good News of God’s salvation . . . established God’s kingdom in the hearts of believers . . . trod the way of the Cross on which He died for all who believe and receive . . . was raised from the dead . . . will come to receive us unto Himself that where He is, there we may be also.
What a Savior! What a Shepherd! The Lord is MY shepherd! What a difference that little word “my” makes - the difference between sorrow and joy . . . mere existence and purposeful living . . . eternal separation from God and eternal glorification with God.
A famous actor attending a social gathering received numerous requests to recite excerpts from various literary works as requested by attendees. An elderly preacher who happened to be there asked him to recite the 23rd Psalm. The actor agreed to do so if the preacher requesting it would also recite it. He agreed.
The actor’s recitation, beautifully and dramatically rendered, received tremendous applause. The old preacher’s voice showed the strain of many years of preaching and at times cracked with emotion, but when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room.
Whereupon the actor asked the crowd to let him tell them the difference between his and the old preacher’s presentation. Said the actor, “I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”
You know the Shepherd! Be comforted by the miracle of His presence! Amen.
