April 23, 2008

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  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.

  And as He sat by His grazing flock
  Who so meekly His voice obeyed,
  He pondered sadly His little lamb
  As again and again it strayed.

  The little lamb had a loving heart,
  And adored His Shepherd, true,
  But would turn aside and seek his own way
  As lambs will so often do.

  With His gentle voice the Shepherd called,
  To His loved and straying lamb,
  “Come back, little one, for you are not safe
  Unless you are where I am.”

  But still the lamb would soon forget
  And unthinkingly wander away,
  And not really noticing what he did,
  From the Shepherd’s side would stray.

  Until one day, the Shepherd kind
  Took His rod in His gentle hand,
  And what He then did seemed so cruel
  That the lamb could not understand.

  For with one sharp and well-aimed blow
  Down the rod so swiftly came
  That it broke the leg of the little lamb
  And left it crippled, and lame.

  Then the little lamb, with a cry of pain,
  Fell down upon his knees…
  And looked up at his Shepherd, as though to say,
  “Won’t you explain this, please?”

  Then he saw the love in the Shepherd’s eyes
  As the tears ran down His face,
  As He tenderly set the broken bone,
  And bound it back in it’s place.

  Now he was utterly helpless,
  He could not even stand!
  He must trust himself completely
  To his Shepherd’s loving hand.

  Then day by day, ’till the lamb was healed
  From the flock he was kept apart…
  And carried about in the Shepherd’s arms,
  And cradled near to His heart.

  And the Shepherd would whisper gentle words
  Into his now listening ear…
  Thus he heard sweet words of love
  That the other sheep could not hear.

  He felt the warmth of the Shepherd’s arms
  And the beat of His faithful heart…
  Until it came a blessing to seem,
  By his weakness to be set apart.

  Every need of the little lamb
  By his Shepherd so fully was met
  That through his brokenness he learned
  What he never again would forget.

  And as the broken bone was healed,
  And once more became whole and strong…
  Wherever the Shepherd’s path would lead,
  The lamb would follow along.

  Thus at the Shepherd’s side he walked
  So closely, day by day,
  For once a lamb has a broken leg
  It will never again go astray.

  For the cords of love had bound it so
  In its hour of weakness and need…
  That it had no desire to wander away,
  When once again it was freed.

  Could it be you are broken today,
  And you cannot understand
  The painful blow of the Shepherd’s rod
  Nor believe it came from His hand?

  He only seeks, by this painful thing,
  For a time to call you apart…
  To cradle you close in His loving arms,
  And draw you near to His heart.

  So look up into your Shepherd’s eyes,
  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!

  ~ author unknown ~
  
  

  

  
  
  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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  • 5:04 am
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