"There"
There between the shadows,
She stood there with her calf,
We thought we’d never find her,
Gone two weeks and a half.
She wandered through rough country,
In a thicket strong and mean
And there she had her baby,
And no one could have seen,
The care she gave her offspring,
And the way she dared us come,
We were the intruders,
And she was on the run.
Shortly we were able,
To bring her out at least,
Turn her to home pasture,
She was a stubborn beast.
And then the old herd-quitter,
Was safely back at home,
And we were only hoping,
She’d give up her roam.
Sometimes I think about it,
The way we sometimes go,
Away from One who loves us,
And wants the best you know.
Out stuck in some thicket,
We think we know what’s best,
When really He’s the One who knows,
Much better than the rest.
And gently, oh so gently,
He comes to round us up,
Never in a hurry,
Though we might balk and buck.
Then leads us to safe haven,
In pastures where we rest,
Beside the still, fresh water,
And doctors us the best.
I’ve been an old herd-quitter,
As stubborn as that cow,
But by grace He saved me,
And brought me home somehow.
”He lets me rest in green meadows…” (Ps. 23:2, NLT)
Finding rest is God’s promise and David’s testimony. It’s also the testimony of everyone who comes home spiritually. Until then, we wander and can never really rest. Why? Because that’s the only place we can find it. It comes when we’re right with our God, and not until. Believers in Jesus sometimes wander, too. That’s why there are so many stressed-out, exhausted Christians. Saved all right, but pretty darn miserable. It becomes a sad advertisement for those who really need what we’ve experienced. That’s not meant as a criticism, because life can really be hard and steal our joy. But, the Lord is always there, calling us to return to the rest that is found in His pasture. Come home for the first time. Come home again.
Lord, give us Your rest, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Herman Walker, hermanwalker.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Herman and God bless you.