Read: Isaiah 40:1-11
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. (v. 11 NIV)
David reminds us in Psalm 100 that we are the Lord’s sheep. We belong to him! Isaiah continues with this beautiful image of the Lord as our shepherd. He not only tells us that our sovereign Lord comes with power (v. 10), but also that he tends to his flock like a shepherd (v. 11).
Can you picture the shepherd tenderly scooping up his lamb and carrying the lamb close to his heart? What an amazing portrait of our shepherd’s deep love for us! No matter what worries, concerns, hurts, or cares are weighing us down, he picks us up and holds us close to his heart and comforts us. With his arms around us, we feel his great love for us his sheep, and all our cares melt away.
But sometimes we can feel so alone in our troubles. Life is hard. Jobs are lost, people receive a terminal diagnosis, disease and cancer spreads, parents die leaving children as orphans, and children or adults suffer at the hands of abusers. This list is too long to continue. Sometimes we think that no one understands what we’re going through.
But there is one who carries us. And we have one who understands. We have one who loves us. We have a shepherd who picks us up in his loving arms. He holds us so close to his heart and comforts us. —Nancy Boote
As you pray, feel the Shepherd’s loving arms around you.
About the Author
Nancy Boote, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church of America, lives in Holland, Michigan, with her husband.
