This is Easter weekend and we will celebrate the Risen Savior. The sacrifice He made at Calvary was excruciating. I truly don't believe that we can fully comprehend the heartache and suffering He endured for us. We can rejoice that He died and rose from the depths of hell and the grave so that we might live with Him forever. A gift unimaginable. Yet through faith in Him it is ours. Praise the Living God!
Do you think that Jesus felt alone there at the cross? Deserted, alone, beaten and nailed to suffer and die.
I want to speak to you about being alone and and the loneliness that comes upon us all at times. I have felt so deserted and alone at times it seemed almost unbearable. But, listen as we go to a familiar place and see how we can be comforted. I want to share with you what I learned from a great lady named Kay Arthur and if you have never read or studied from her, you have missed a great blessing.
Even though the words from this passage cannot take away our pain and loneliness, it can enable us to live through knowing that our shepherd is there with us.
These are familiar words to most of us: 'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want"(Psalm 23 KJV). You probably know this passage by heart. I learned it when I was very young. I have heard it quoted many times as a child and as an adult. It is a scripture often read at funerals. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil; for Thou are with me." Did you catch that phrase? He is with us. When you learned or heard this as a child you were taught the He is always with you. We are reminded by these words that He is with us, even in death.
But, how do we cope day to day with the loneliness and heartbreak that life often brings our way. Let me share with you how I learned that this passage has the answers .
Psalm 23 is not just a way to teach children that Jesus is with us always, nor is it just a psalm of comfort in time of death. It is a psalm for living, a great comfort to live each day as we walk with the shepherd. It is summed up in that first verse. " The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
This is a psalm that helped me make it through the death of my sweet dad. It was the upholding of my strength when my son was in a coma for weeks. It gave me hope and faith to carry on when my husband of 42 years walked away from me. Oh, let me tell you how the shepherd helped me escape the anguish of pain and heartache. It is my psalm of assurance that when my life here comes to an end, I can know that every painful event and heartache experienced will be declared "goodness and mercy."
Even though these words are familiar, I ask that you read them slowly and thoughtfully.Watch how the pronoun referring to the Lord changes from "He" to "Thou" in verse 4. Read it carefully and note what the Shepherd does for His sheep and the benefits that come to the sheep as a result of the Shepherd's care.
To know the Shepherd's care you must realize your great need for a shepherd. In Kay's study she says that she believes that God created sheep so that we could see that need. Perhaps she is right, for if any animal needs a shepherd, she says, it is a sheep. Let me explain to you, as I learned from her why a sheep desperately needs a shepherd.
Sheep are helpless, timid, feeble creatures that have little means for self defense.They are the dumbest of animals, and because they are so dumb they require constant attention and meticulous care. If sheep do not have the care of a shepherd they will go the wrong way and they have even been known to nibble their way right off of a mountainside. They will overgraze their pasture and run out of food, unless the shepherd leads them to a new pasture, and if they are not led to a new pasture they will eat and drink things that are harmful to them.
Sheep can easily fall prey to predators, and when they do, they are virtually defenseless. Sheep can also become cast down and when in that state they panic and die. And, so being sheep, they need a shepherd to watch after them.
So, my friends, if you belong to the Lord Jesus, you are the sheep of His pasture. It was for you and I that God "brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.( Hebrews 13:20) Jesus is there for you and for me, and because He is, even though life can be difficult, lonely and trying, we shall not want.
So, now I ask you a question. Where do you turn? To whom do you run when the heartache and pain seems unbearable?
Your good Shepherd is there at the right hand of the Father. He lives within... "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). He holds you and He holds me in His hand.. underneath everlasting arms.
We are the sheep of His pasture. Take a good look at your life this Easter. Are you trying to make it on your own? Can't you see the need for the Shepherd?
Hebrews 7:24, 25 says:"But He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
This Easter I hope you look at the Shepherd who is waiting to protect and keep you. If you have never accepted Jesus as your own personal Savior, my prayer for you is that you will realize your need for this Shepherd and surrender your life to Him. Believe me, there is no safer refuge.
Have a Happy and Blessed Easter.
Nancy
