Jehovah-Roah: The LORD Our Shepherd
Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Hebrews 13:20, 21
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Last night I sat, nursing my daughter, and watched men carry my Papaw into his home on a stretcher so that he might spend his last days resting comfortably, not surrounded by strangers and beeping machines, wires, and tubes. But in the home he built with his own two hands, the home in which his children grew up in, his grandchildren played in, and his wife passed gently through the Gates of Heaven in. Home is where he most wants to be. Home is the one place in this world that he feels safest in. He is surrounded by his books, his pictures of Mamaw, his family. But it is also the one place that I believe he feels closest to the Lord in. The walls of that home have seen much over the last 50 years and the Lord has met him there in times of both trouble and joy, in times of sorrow and praise. Papaw has met the Lord there in days spent pouring over His Word, in nights spent in prayer over his family, in theological debates with friends. I know He has met him there because He has met me there a time or two as well.
And just like the sheep that we are, when in times of trouble, we look for, we run to our Shepherd. And just as He left the ninety and nine to seek out that one little lost lamb, I believe Jehovah-Roah is there by that bedside to gently guide my Papaw to his heavenly and eternal home.
The end for my Papaw is near and for those of us that he will leave behind, the coming days and months are going to be extremely difficult. He is not just our father or our grandfather, he is a friend, a mentor, a guiding light and a solid foundation. He is a testament of the Lord's goodness and grace. He is hard, he is stubborn, he is grouchy, but he knows just what to say in times of trouble, he knows how to make you laugh, and though his "I love you"s are few and far between, he knows just when you needed to hear them most.
Yes, Jehovah-Roah is there with my Papaw this morning, but He is also here with me as I try to explain to my children what is soon coming. He is at the bedside of the baby who at only a month old has already endured pain and suffering the likes of which many of us will never see and yet is fighting to survive. He is with her parents and her siblings as they struggle through exhaustion, worry, wavering faith. He is with the Christian who has lost his way and is fighting the grips of addiction. He is seeking out the lost girl standing on the street corner doing the unthinkable just to live another day. He is with the child who is hiding in the corner while his daddy lays hands on his momma. He is with the tired saint who is sick of the sin and corruption in this world and is longing for a foreign land. He has given the sacrifice for His sheep that only He can give so that we may leave wild thorns of the wilderness behind and be welcomed into the fold.
Jehovah-Roah, Our Shepherd, He maketh us to lie down in green pastures, beside still waters so that He may restore our souls and lead us down paths of righteousness. He is there to guide His sheep safely through the valley of the shadow of death, be it a death of the flesh or a spiritual death, His rod and His staff there to guide us, comfort us. He preparest a table before us, while we are yet here in the presence of our enemies, so that we may be anointed, our cups running over, goodness and mercy following all the days of our lives, dwelling in the House of Jehovah-Roah forever.
The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
