And as He sat by His grazing flock The little lamb had a loving heart, With His gentle voice the Shepherd called, But still the lamb would soon forget Until one day, the Shepherd kind For with one sharp and well-aimed blow Then the little lamb, with a cry of pain, Then he saw the love in the Shepherd’s eyes Now he was utterly helpless, Then day by day, ’till the lamb was healed And the Shepherd would whisper gentle words He felt the warmth of the Shepherd’s arms Every need of the little lamb And as the broken bone was healed, Thus at the Shepherd’s side he walked For the cords of love had bound it so Could it be you are broken today, He only seeks, by this painful thing, So look up into your Shepherd’s eyes, ~ author unknown ~
A STRAYING LAMB
The Shepherd loved His little lamb,
And gave it His tender care…
And followed it with His loving eyes
As it wandered here and there.
Who so meekly His voice obeyed,
He pondered sadly His little lamb
As again and again it strayed.
And adored His Shepherd, true,
But would turn aside and seek his own way
As lambs will so often do.
To His loved and straying lamb,
“Come back, little one, for you are not safe
Unless you are where I am.”
And unthinkingly wander away,
And not really noticing what he did,
From the Shepherd’s side would stray.
Took His rod in His gentle hand,
And what He then did seemed so cruel
That the lamb could not understand.
Down the rod so swiftly came
That it broke the leg of the little lamb
And left it crippled, and lame.
Fell down upon his knees…
And looked up at his Shepherd, as though to say,
“Won’t you explain this, please?”
As the tears ran down His face,
As He tenderly set the broken bone,
And bound it back in it’s place.
He could not even stand!
He must trust himself completely
To his Shepherd’s loving hand.
From the flock he was kept apart…
And carried about in the Shepherd’s arms,
And cradled near to His heart.
Into his now listening ear…
Thus he heard sweet words of love
That the other sheep could not hear.
And the beat of His faithful heart…
Until it came a blessing to seem,
By his weakness to be set apart.
By his Shepherd so fully was met
That through his brokenness he learned
What he never again would forget.
And once more became whole and strong…
Wherever the Shepherd’s path would lead,
The lamb would follow along.
So closely, day by day,
For once a lamb has a broken leg
It will never again go astray.
In its hour of weakness and need…
That it had no desire to wander away,
When once again it was freed.
And you cannot understand
The painful blow of the Shepherd’s rod
Nor believe it came from His hand?
For a time to call you apart…
To cradle you close in His loving arms,
And draw you near to His heart.
And earnestly seek His face…
And prove in the hour of your weakness and need
The sufficiency of His grace.
For as you are borne in His loving arms,
And carried there, day by day…
He will bind you so close with the cords of His love
That never again will you stray!
THE LORD, MY SHEPHERD
~ Gail Rodgers
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.”
{Psalm 23: 1 – 3a}
This disappointment was a hard one to bear. Her hopes had been high. She had always believed that God took an interest in the details of her life. She even thought that He had orchestrated these particular details … yet today she felt her faith falter. In this disappointment she wondered where God was.
I was disappointed too. “Father, how should I pray?
Give me Your perspective” … I prayed as my heart hurt for her.
That still, small voice of His Spirit impressed my mind with the thought that I should pray these words of Scripture over her circumstances and expect God to work. The familiar words of Psalm 23: 1 took on fresh meaning …
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
Father, Thank you that You are the Good Shepherd and You see every tear. Carry my friend now, as a tender shepherd carries a wounded lamb. Comfort her in this time of questioning. Draw her to come and find her needs met in You.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures,”
Father, provide restful places where her soul will be fed. Help her to sleep well at night. Nudge her to reach for Your word and speak to her heart by the power of Your Holy Spirit.
“He leads me beside quiet waters”
Calm and quiet her spirit, Lord. Bring her to a fresh belief that You do have her best interest at heart. Free her from any confusing thoughts of self – condemnation. Let her spirit drink deeply from Your living water.
“He restores my soul.”
Father God, Thank You that You alone are the One who can restore the broken and hurting places within a wounded soul. Help her run to You in her pain and not from You. Restore hope and peace within her. Pour out Your refreshing on her soul so that she may catch her breath and be strengthened to carry on.
Thank you that You are called My Shepherd, the Shepherd of my soul, fully trustworthy, fully able to restore.
We praise the name of the Lord our God!
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