He's a Good Shepherd

Here I go again with more inspiration from "the tales of Bryson". My youngest grandson’s life is consumed with the great outdoors and his animals, so of course, his live-stock causes my mind's "ticker tape" to keep rolling!

His priority is his animals' care and he loves it when I help him feed them at the corral or when he moves his goats and donkeys over to the pasture area that has plenty of “greens” for them to consume during the day. It’s a hoot to watch the goats, even with so much grass around to eat – that they still stand on their hind legs to get to the tastiest treats from the trees.

Those animals know their master. When he calls – even the donkeys, go running to him. Of course they do, they live the high life. Even neighboring families will stop by the fences and bring food to them. They are so well cared for and so well-protected. At evening time, Bryson brings them back from the pasture to the corral because predators can show up over there at nighttime. They are pampered and well fed, even if they don’t go over to the green pastures. They are protected and out of danger. Their shepherd, Bryson, is good and loves them all.

My scripture readings lately have referenced the Shepherd and His sheep, so with the inspirations of these chickens, longhorn, goats and donkeys, plus these scriptures, I can’t help but want to hang as close as I can to MY Shepherd.

Those of us who know our Good Shepherd – are like those animals in Bryson's loving care. When we are hanging close to our Shepherd – we can rest in knowing – even in storms – He is right there with us -- tenderly loving and guiding us.

But, then what about the sheep and other animals who have no shepherd and are in places that are open-prey to ravenous creatures and deadly storms? How do they come into the fold?
It's so simple -- surrender to the care of THE Good Shepherd Who lovingly welcomes them into His watchful care. Jesus does. He shares something central to a life of peace and contentment. He says, "I am the Good Shepherd." (John 10:11) Like a shepherd, He leads, feeds, protects and saves His sheep. How can He be so unrelenting in love for us?

And the answer has always been the same -- simple, yet profound -- God IS love. It is Who He is. He can't stop loving us. We are His children, and we are the sheep of His pasture.

As, one of those well-fed, cared for, protected and pampered sheep, I delightfully proclaim: "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me. His rod and His staff -- they comfort me. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23.

And, He welcomes you to be loved and cared for in His green pastures, too!

How Can We Lie Down in Green Pastures? They're Flooded

One of my go-to scriptures, especially when I’m encouraging someone who is bed-fast because of an injury or illness, is Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” I share: “Obviously, God is wanting you to rest and lie down in His pastures (His place of restoration) so you can re-coup, be restored and refreshed. He knows your journey up ahead, and He knows what you need to go the long-haul.”

But, how can I say that to my family and friends in Oklahoma whose pastures are filled with rushing (not still) waters and even their homes are completely demolished by the tornadoes and flood waters that left little to hold onto?

Or how can I tell them to “get on the roller coaster and throw your hands up in the air and enjoy the ride” like I might say when someone is starting a long journey of medical treatments and procedures? I often describe our faith journey as a roller coaster ride -- twists and turns, and ups and down, and throwing our hands up in the air and enjoying the ride!! But, in the case of these life-altering storms, those rides are out-of-order entirely!

It’s easy to say to my precious friends and family: “Let go and let God! He is in control. Have peace in the storm! Only have faith and believe. God is for you and with you!” But I’m not in my storm shelter, hearing the storm warnings or bailing water out of my home or trying to find something of value in the remains that were left behind from the storm. My words, of themselves, are meaningless. But God’s words are life and God is life….even abundant life -- when we believe them in or out of the storm.

“I Will Praise You in the Storm” was a song written by Casting Crowns’ lead vocalist Mark Hall. It was inspired by the band's experience with a young girl who had cancer, Erin Browning. They met Erin before one of their concerts. Erin had performed a dance at her school to one of their songs. Erin died shortly after that. Hall said, "Watching Erin's mother walk through this really showed me the truth about my worship. Watching her walk through a real storm showed me that my worship was extremely situational". Hall began writing the song before Erin's death.

I, too, know devastating storms in my own life and praising God in the midst of those storms was my survival mode. The song and the lyrics, I know, will minister to those of you who have gone through recent storms or are right in the middle of them today. No matter the storms, we continue to praise our Lord because we know His promises are true and that He never leaves us. We glory in all He does for us in the storm:

I Will Praise You in the Storm
I was sure by now, God you would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen; that it's still raining
As the thunder rolls, I barely hear your whisper through the rain, “I’m with you,”
And as your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands
That You are who You are, no matter where I am,
And every tear I've cried, You hold in your hand.
You never left my side, and though my heart is torn,
I will praise you in this storm.

Listen to this beautiful song and be assured that God is with you in the storm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoqbKyeKOBI

While we may not know what our future holds, today we can rest in the fact that we are known by the One who holds it and somewhere in the middle of that fact…..He promises to be working it all out for our good. (Romans 8:28).

Got Desert? Green Pastures Await You!

It’s difficult to think of desert in the midst of the torrential rains we had in the last 24-hours here in Frisco. But, deserts did come to mind when I thought about the “desert experiences” of life.

Not far from the lush rolling hills in Austin where my children live, you can find yourself in the desert. In fact, there are cacti and other desert foliage all around my children’s home. Trust me. I know. Those cactus spikes got my attention coming through my jeans when I got too close to them. But the desert areas around Austin pales in comparison to Mexico where we recently went for a family vacation. Just go for a little walk without water and you’ll find yourself dry, hot, and parched. Oh, for a cool drink of water!

The Season of Easter is synonymous with freshness, new life, springtime, an abundance of flowers and budding trees. But, all that newness means little when we are in a virtual desert spiritually. Beauty is all around, but we don’t see it or feel it. We prefer the curtains drawn and we want the world to go away. I have been there in seasons of personal drought. No matter what scriptures I read or praise songs I sang or words of encouragement that were given to me, I just wanted to wallow in a pool of self-pity. In those “seasons”, I came to realize that staying there was the worst place I could be. Or, was it?

Those dry seasons are like a thermometer. We can read our temperature and know there is something wrong. And in the desert seasons, we know there is something wrong spiritually. When we open our eyes and hearts wide, we know we’re off-kilter. We know we are not nourishing and refreshing ourselves with the Springs of Living Water. We’ve become lackadaisical in our relationship with God. We don’t hunger and thirst for Him. The enemy of our souls is mighty proud of us during those times of living in the desert. The Psalmist David knew about these times. That's why he wrote in Psalm 23 "He MAKES me lie down in green pastures to restore my soul!"

I know there are those reading this blog today who feel like you are there – right in the middle of a parched soul desert. But, I’m here to declare to you this day – your desert experience is almost over. You will soon be revitalized to achieve greater heights and a level of spiritual clarity that you have not even imagined, but it's up to you to get out of the desert. The fast track there is by refusing to live there any longer. Open wide the windows and let the fresh air of the Holy Spirit in. Refuse to live there any longer. A bountiful supply of Living Water is available to you. In John 7:37-39 Jesus cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” He was speaking of the Holy Spirit Who came to live in us when we first received Christ into our lives. It’s springtime and renewal time today. Run to the touch of Jesus and let His living water saturate you today! Dry spell ended, in Jesus' name!

He MAKES Me Lie Down in Green Pastures

In yesterday's post, I mentioned I was heading over to the main house as my month-long hiatus had come to an end. Famous last words – little did I realize that the flu virus hanging around Austin had caught up with me. “Lord, have mercy” was my prayer for the next 24 hours. After I had gone through the worst of the effects (I’ll spare you the details), as I was lying in bed, I heard “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Green is the operative word here. LOL! I thought that I had been in this sweet place of green pastures for over a month, but this was a step further of total reliance on my God for comfort and restoration.

Indeed, there can be extremely uncomfortable times for us, but I often feel closest to God during those times because I come to depend on Him more. I have a yearning in my heart for Him to transform every nook and cranny of my life. I want Him to be my all-consuming thought, desire and passion, and I want Him to make my life REALLY mean something. I desire that He give purpose to these adventurous times. Isaiah 30:15 says “This is what the Almighty LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting Me.”

Maybe someone reading this today is in a world of clamor and confusion. Then this post is for you. Maybe you're feeling -- physically and mentality spent -- completely exhausted from stress and overload. Could THIS message be heaven-sent to you today? Could God be urging you to STOP for just a while for reloading, recharging, and restoring? Wouldn't it be a good thing to go nestle down in some green pastures -- where your body and soul finds rest, peace and restoration? Where you’re at is no surprise to Him and to step away for a few minutes, hours or even days to give Him your undivided attention, could bring the restoration, healing, and peace that you know you need.

As the scripture in Isaiah says, I'm convinced that in quietness and confidence in God’s faithfulness, I will be strengthened. That’s when all the noise and activity are shut out and we clearly hear His voice saying, “Trust Me. I've got this!"