Last year Bry and I worked our way through Isaiah 40. If you want to memorize verses that can make you realize how amazingly huge God is and are also very encouraging – great chapter to do. And it was very good for me for several reasons, one simply being my ever constant struggle with fear… Specifically regarding my children and how one day life could really hurt. There are times when I’ve been paralyzed by this fear wanting to just stay home and hide from the world. Worried about the future and what it may hold…
Well, as I said Is 40 exalts God. It makes Him sound huge!!!! For example – ” Who has measured the waters in the palm of His hand… Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket or weighed the mtns on the scales?” Answer – only Yhwh the God of Israel. Another part of the chapter talkes about how God is coming with power and justice and mtns will be made low and valleys will be raised up. This is a big God! The whole chapter focuses on the awesome-ness of God.
But in the middle of the chapter there’s this verse “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.” And one day this verse hit me so hard. I have young! I have lambs at home. According to Is 40 this amazing God who can do anything He wants – wants to be a shepherd and take care of His sheep – and my family is a part of that.
Does that mean life will be easy? No. Does that mean nothing terrible will ever happen to me or my children – I don’t know what the future holds for any of us. But I am SLOWLY learning the God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, the one true God is my Shepherd and therefore, I have everything I need.
May we learn and remember this simple yet powerful truth that the God who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand is the God who cares for His children like a shepherd cares for his flock. He not only gently leads you but He also carries you close to His heart.