One of my favourite images of Christ is the one with Him holding the lamb in His arms.
I love this painting because so often I have been that lamb, being held and comforted in the arms of the Lord. And it is the perfect illustration for my favourite Psalm; the 23rd Psalm.
Just as David said, the Lord has “brought me comfort”. He “restored my soul” from despair on the January night I found my husband’s body outside. The trauma was lessened through faith that this was God’s will and I had to embrace it.
In fact, Jesus reassured me before I was able to sleep that night that I need not worry; He would take care of me. “His rod and His staff have guided me” ever since and all my needs have been met. He also blessed me with caring friends who share my faith in Him.
Those words: “You shall not want” are so true for those who trust and believe in Jesus. By staying close to His flock I survived living in a country house without power and water for a couple of years until God provided a new husband, and I moved to a big city apartment that had two bathrooms and someone who loved me dearly.
Then when I had to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” once more eight years later when this husband passed away, Jesus was there to console me once more.
When the most difficult blow came two years later, learning that my 43 old son had suffered a fatal heart attack, I sought consolation from the words: “surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.” My son left me the treasure of two loving grandchildren who are now teenagers, and time spent with them brings joy to my heart.
We have all heard the words: “Let go and let God” which means we need to trust in His will for our lives. That is not always easy to do, and now, facing this time of COVID-19 we must do our part in helping to eradicate the disease. God is inspiring caring hearts and we should all pray for the safety of the essential workers who are facing the possibility of contracting the virus at their jobs.
Jesus is the source of all comfort and hope. Let us trust Him to help us to weather this latest “storm of life”.
He truly is our shepherd and loves us more than we can imagine.