“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.” [Isaiah 40:11 NIV]
Photo by Andrew Berg
Isaiah 40 has to be one of my favourite chapters in the Bible. It is filled with the greatness of God, His incomparable nature, but also His comfort and His gentleness. As a mum with young children ten years ago, this verse in particular really spoke to me.
If you think about a shepherd’s job, which is to move the sheep from one pasture to another so the sheep can feed, on the surface it seems a simple job. Sheep tend to follow one another without much difficulty. But, a shepherd also had to protect them from predators, because sheep have to be one of the most vulnerable animals there are.
Photo by http://www.sxc.hu/profile/dawilken
But then, when sheep have young, the vulnerability increases tenfold. Ewes with lambs would be constantly stopping to feed them, the lambs travel at a slower rate, and predatory animals would eye them off even more so than the grown sheep, ready to pounce if a little lamb lags behind.
God likens us to sheep — all the way through the Bible. But, I love that in this verse it says He leads gently those who have young. So, for us mums who feel like we’re getting nowhere sometimes — it’s ok — He understands that while we have to nurture our little ones, it takes us longer to travel our own journey, and He’s looking out for both us and our babies.
Don’t you find such comfort in that?
Romancing The Rock 
I love, love …LOVE Isaiah, and the God revealed in that book! What a blessing, and yes, comfort to know He gathers and tends his flock!! And that’s where God is also called, ‘The Everlasting’ (wink)
xxx
There are some great bits in Isaiah, aren’t there? Ahhhhh, The Everlasting, eh. (nods sagely). 🙂