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Isaiah 40.11 (NIV)
He gathers the lambs in his
arms and carries them close to his heart.
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| I see the Lord of angels condescending to personal labor.* |
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The
flock is the shepherd’s most prized possession. Perhaps his only possession. So
of course he would tend his sheep with personal attention. In this verse, the
shepherd is portrayed as carrying the lambs in his arms, close to his heart, as
we would carry an infant. According
to Charles Spurgeon, "To carry is kindness, but to carry in the bosom is
loving-kindness. The shoulders are for power, and the back for force, but the
bosom is the seat of love."*
I
am drawn to verses that depict God’s lovingkindness and his tenderness towards
his children. They remind me that I am his special child. Jesus describes
himself as the “good shepherd” in John 10.14. At times I feel like that lamb
who is being cuddled and cradled by a shepherd who thinks I’m precious.
But
there is more to God’s love than how it makes us feel. We know that “love is
something you do” but do we really know
it? We have a hard time separating the feelings from what love looks like. Do
you think that God always feels like
loving us? Do you think he felt all warm and tingly inside as he watched his
Son suffer and die for us? Love didn’t feel
like love that day – but it sure looked
like love.
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| The same that rules with the strong hand of a prince leads and feeds with the kind hand of a shepherd.* |
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