Psalm 23
As many of you may have heard, many in our HeartLife family have been affected by a recent plane crash involving 5 members of Harvest Church here in Germantown, TN. Many of us were shepherded by these men, best friends with these men, encouraged by these men and intimately connected with their families. Words that I keep hearing people utter are: “heartbroken”, “weary”, “confused”, “gut wrenching”, “in shock”, and “overwhelmed”. There is no denying the weight of loss. Even Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus. Our grief matters to the Lord.
AND, as God’s Word so faithfully reminds us, “we do not grieve as those who have no hope.” We know that the four men who are no longer with us on earth are in the presence of their Lord- the desire of their lives. We know that they are delighting in hearing the voice that they have pursued with their lives now say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” We know that they no longer struggle with sin or shame and that their bodies are now redeemed and restored. We know that their hearts are overflowing with songs of praise upon seeing the goodness of their Lord in the land for which they were made.
And yet, for those of us here… there remains a void. There remains a wake of sadness. There remains lament and pain and the reality that this world is not our home. It is in this space that we need Jesus to come alongside us as our Shepherd and remind us of what He has promised us. I read Psalm 23 again this morning and was reminded of a few things:
He makes us lie down- In verse 2 David writes, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.” I think for many of us tragedy leaves us in a state of fight or flight and we begin running around “doing things” trying to outrun our grief. And yet the Lord makes us lie down. He makes us rest and entrust all things to His perfect hands. He makes us know our own limits and remember that we are but dust as well. He will hold all things together and He makes us lie down.
We will walk through dark times- verse 4 states, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Bible does not avoid or deny the fact that we will walk through dark times. We will face hardship, loss, suffering and grief on this side of Heaven. And, at the same time, we are not alone. His rod and His staff comfort us because they provide us with that loving touch of our Shepherd that urges us onward and keeps us close.
We are secure- verse 6 states, “SURELY goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.” This word “surely” means “certainly”, “with security”, “without a doubt”. Without a doubt, His goodness will come running after us. Without a doubt we will not face a day outside of His loving care. And, without a doubt those who know Him will dwell with Him forever.
So, while we all are navigating this experience of grief in different ways… May we remember to pause today to lie down. May we cling to His presence and light in the midst of the darkness. And may we remember that we are securely held by our Good, Good Shepherd.
by Cammie Walters-Carlson