What God Says About God Series

God is great and we see this through His immensity and His incomparability. Let’s come back now to verse eleven to see that He is not only great, He is good. He is both Sovereign and Shepherd.

2. God is good. Verse 10 speaks of His ruling “arm,” and now we see that He gathers lambs in His “arms.” He is tough and tender. Check out verse 11: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” The word “tend” means to care, guard, govern and feed. Holding one close to the heart is a picture of great tenderness and affection.

He gently leads young parents and He lovingly carries their small children. I’m reminded of Jesus, who when asked if he would bless the children brought to Him, did even more and picked them up and held them in his arms. Mark 10:14: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” If you think that children don’t matter to God, how do you explain the 435 verses in the Bible that mention children? Some of you are young parents and you’re struggling with sleepless nights, sickness and stress. I want you to know that Jesus treats you with gentleness. He understands and is actively involved in your parenting and wants to lovingly lead you to places of rest and refreshment. A shepherd knows that mother sheep need to go a little slower than the rest of the flock because they need to stop and nurse the lambs. Hey moms, the shepherd understands your situation!

God Comforts Even When We Complain

Even though God is great and God is good, it’s easy for us to complain and think that the Lord is not watching or interested in what we’re going through. To a people who had been in exile for a long time, it would be easy to doubt God’s greatness and His goodness. Check out verse 27: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?”

It’s very interesting to see how God answers this as He draws us back to His goodness in verse 28. Friend, here is a key point. Whenever you’re struggling, go back to Scripture. The real question is not, “How big are your problems?” The best question is this: “How big is your God?” When you’re in crisis, hold on to the character of God because He knows how you feel and what you fear. God knows we sometimes forget and so he reminds us by asking two questions: “Do you not know? Have you not heard?” We need to relearn what we know and have heard. We need to know that God knows and we need to know that He hears. He knows how to help and when to help.

Here’s what you and I can trust: “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” He is like a watchman who always stays awake and never misses a thing. He is eternal, creator, omnipotent and omniscient. He is immense and He is incomparable. When we see Him for who He is, everything else fits into perspective. The prominent philosopher Mortimer Adler came to saving faith late in life. What brought him to faith was his realization that our God was too big and complex to be understood – only a God beyond comprehension and understanding was worthy of being worshipped.