In the Shepherd’s Arms

Scriptures: Hebrews 13:5, Isaiah 49:16

Never Be Shaken, Never Be Forsaken

For hasn’t he promised you,” I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!” (Hebrews 13:5b, TPT)

Have you ever been through a season where life feels dry and full of failures? Especially when you look around, scroll through social media, and all your friends seem to be thriving while you’re stuck in this place. Even worse, the problems you’ve been wrestling with seem to linger, weighing you down.

And it’s not like you haven’t prayed. Maybe you’ve prayed for months, years, or what feels like forever – it’s been so long that you can’t even remember. And yet, you feel like you’ve failed. Slowly, you start to feel accused and then blame yourself and God.

Why can they succeed while I fail? Surely, there’s something wrong with me, no?
Is it my fault, Lord? Are you angry at me, God?
Maybe God doesn’t favour me like He does others. Could it be?
Maybe others are chosen by God, and I’m the outcast, no?

And so, we start to isolate ourselves and drown in a sea of self-pity.

Some Bible characters have been there too. One of them is Elijah.

Elijah found himself caught in a whirlwind of self-pity. When Jezebel became furious and threatened to kill him, he fled in fear and even wished to die. He was angry and disappointed with God. Despite just moments ago, God had demonstrated His power by sending fire from heaven. It’s likely Elijah probably didn’t anticipate Jezebel’s retaliation. For a moment, he felt lost and bewildered. Why didn’t God prevent Jezebel from making such threats? He, who was able to send the fire from the heaven, could He not send the fire to the palace? Perhaps that’s what Elijah pondered.

However, God had a different plan than Elijah’s thoughts.

We do not always understand God’s way. Yet one thing is certain – God does not change. His love and presence remain steadfast. He allowed Elijah to run and hide, and He was still with him, comforting and strengthening him.

Another story is that of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Imagine his position, going from the beloved and pampered son of his father to a lowly slave. I’m sure every day he prayed and hoped that one day, Jacob would come to rescue him, and he would be set free. Things seemed to improve briefly when his master, Potiphar, began to trust him more. But the difficulties didn’t stop. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, and when Joseph refused, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison with no certainty when he would be released. Instead of freedom as a reward for his faith, Joseph’s situation became much worse. In that cold prison, he was even further from the hope of his father’s warm embrace.

Isolated, with no certainty in sight. Often, we’ve felt that way too. What we pray for doesn’t seem to come to pass, and our situation seems to worsen. Slowly, we feel lonely and as if God has abandoned us.

From both of these stories, we can see that when Elijah and Joseph felt lonely, God never abandoned them. He had a grand plan they couldn’t see at the time.

God came to Elijah and strengthened him, assigning him new tasks. He did not come to scold Elijah, instead He cooked a breakfast for him.

God elevated Joseph to the second-in-command in Egypt and through him, saved his family and his people.

It’s all a happy ending.

God never leaves us, never forsakes us. He has us engraved on the palms of His hands. He watches over us and ensures that our walls of protection are always there (Isaiah 49:16).

Trust Him, He is right there beside you. Whether you feel it or not or whether your situation is getting even tougher, He is carrying you on His shoulder.

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

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You Are Who God Thinks You Are

“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love” (Luke 7:47, NRSV).

Amidst the hustle and bustle of a lavish feast thrown by Simon, a respected Pharisee in his community, many important guests were invited. Jesus was also present there with His disciples.

Suddenly, the commotion turned into whispers.

A woman with long, flowing hair approached Jesus. In her hands, she held an alabaster jar. Without hesitation, she knelt at Jesus’ feet, broke the jar, and poured its costly perfume on His feet.

“Do you think Jesus knows that this woman is a prostitute?” the whisperings buzz.

In an instant, the room was filled with the sweet fragrance of that expensive ointment, flowing down onto Jesus’ feet. No one offered her a towel. Unexpectedly, the woman named Mary, let down her long and thick hair and wiped Jesus’ feet with it. Some sneered, and the murmurs grew louder. It wasn’t just the guests whispering this time; even Jesus’ own disciples were taken aback and shouted:

“What a waste!”

What was Jesus’ reaction? We can read that in Luke 7:36-50, and I put here the verses from 44-48 (NRSV): “Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

Mary came to Jesus just as she was. She could display publicly her love toward Jesus, knowing well that she would be condemned and judged by the public. She poured out everything she had, never ceasing to kiss His feet because she had faith that Jesus would accept her as she was. Because her sins have been forgiven, she (was enabled to) do much kindness. On the other hand, someone who feels unforgiven will not “able” to do much kindness.

Jesus knew who she was.
Jesus knew well her past.
Jesus knew how she used to sell herself.
Yet Jesus saw her as His beloved.

Sometimes, our understanding of forgiveness stops at our heads. We’re told that we are forgiven, and then we’re taught that this means we can go to heaven someday. Done. We try not to think about it again.

Why?

Because deep down in our hearts, there may be guilt. Shame. Self-condemnation. A sense of disgrace. We try to hide these feelings, and we’re even hesitant to bring them to God. Sometimes, we wear our masks to cover our fears deep inside – doubts about whether God truly accepts us or not, whether God truly accepts me or not? Whether God really forgives me? Often we wear these masks in the form of our service or offerings. It’s something we put on because deep down in our hearts, we still feel afraid and uncertain if God accepts us. We try to do something to soften His heart.

Know this: God accepts us wholly as we are, forgives us completely – all past and present sins and even those of the future.

If we can understand this, we will be set free. We will no longer need our masks to come to Jesus.

Who we are is not defined by who we think we are, but by what God thinks who we are. Maybe we think we’re repulsive, perhaps we hate ourselves, maybe we’re disgusted with ourselves, and maybe we live with a lingering sense of regret …but… Jesus sees us as His beloved children, as righteous individuals justified by the blood of Christ, as forgiven, embraced, loved, and longed for.

We are free to forgive ourselves. We are free from shame, guilt, and self-judgment.

We can come freely to Jesus, just as we are, and pour out everything for Him.

Just like Mary.

Scripture: Romans 8:28-33

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There is a Shepherd at the End of Your Rope

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In the journey of our lives, sometimes it feels like we’re drowning in problems after problems. One problem isn’t even resolved, and another one pops up. You’re struggling, and instead of things getting better, they just get more complicated. You are constantly in fire-fighting mode.

It’s like the whole world is against you, and you feel completely alone, while everything seems to go wrong in your life.

Maybe that’s how Jacob felt. After deceiving Esau and stealing Esau’s birthright blessing, instead of experiencing an easy life, he had to run away, left the comfort of his home, fearing the revenge of Esau.

Then he found Laban, his uncle. He might have thought, at least here is a safe place to stay. Alas, Laban turned out to be even trickier than Jacob, constantly taking advantage of him. When Jacob found Rachel, the love of his life, Laban even deceived him into marrying Leah first. Yet, all those years of being manipulated by Laban, God was always there to help Jacob until he finally escaped and left Laban. Then came the next big problem, how to face Esau? God helped him make peace with Esau. And then more problems kept coming. Dinah was violated, and Jacob’s sons got into trouble in Shechem. God helped them, and the people who intended to harm them were scared away. After that, Rachel, his beloved wife, passed away. And even later, Jacob had to endure the loss of Joseph.

Wow, it’s not easy, right?

Let’s delve into the story of Joseph. From being a pampered child, he lost everything and became a slave in a foreign land. Things seemed to be improving when Potiphar, his master, favoured him. But suddenly, he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife. Joseph, fearing God, resisted the temptation, but instead of receiving a blessing, he was thrown into prison without any certainty of freedom.

We don’t always understand what God is doing. All we want to know is, “Why? Why me?”

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. This verse tells us that God is at work in everything to bring good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His plan.

First, we know that God is working. He is actively at work in our lives right now. He’s orchestrating everything, yes, everything happening in the universe. For what purpose? For our good. God is good, and everything He does is good. For whom? For us who love the Lord and are called and chosen by Him.

If we read the preceding verses, it’s said that even when we can’t pray, the Spirit of God intercedes for us. And if we read the following verses, it emphasizes the immense love of God for us.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? God is the one who justifies them (Romans 8:31-33).

Jacob eventually reunited with Joseph in his old age and held his grandchildren. Joseph forgave his brothers and echoed Romans 8:28 in his message to them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many live ” (Genesis 50:20).

Yes, we don’t always understand what God is doing in our lives. We might not even be able to accept it. It’s like looking at a messy, ugly tapestry from the back (see below picture). But when you see it from the front, there’s a beautiful crown!

We might not understand, but believe that God is working for our good and He is weaving all the events in our lives. God is faithful. Even when you feel all things are against you, know that there is a Shepherd at the end of your rope.

Our part is to fix our gaze on Him and to believe that He is harmonizing all things for our good.