He tends His flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart…
~ Isaiah 40:11
i was instantly filled with gladness when i read this verse to know how precious we are indeed to the Lord. these words are a great comfort, especially in times when you feel that you have gone astray or alone.
this verse assures us how the Lord watches us close and tends to our needs; and, above all, takes us with Him wherever He goes.
two words stood out to me when i read this verse:
- gathers — this word is defined as to bring together: collect. to me, this means that the Lord gathers us all, unites us, brings us all together to Him, regardless of our differences–be it our race, beliefs, and so forth.
- carries — when you carry something, you bring it with you wherever you go. now, isn’t this comforting? to know that the Lord not only gathers us together into Him, but most of all, He carries us with Him, and where else? we are carried close to His heart. can any other truth be more comforting than that? that wherever He goes, we go with Him because He carries us with Him and close to His heart nonetheless. don’t you love that? you are close to the heart of God without any effort required from you. i just love that. what great truth!
P.S.
i wonder if e.e. cummings might have read this verse so that he was inspired to write his poem, “i carry your heart with me.”
In all of the bickering between the different factions of Christianity on the Internet, this is the message that needs to be remembered.
thank you, james. and i agree. i, myself, am not a fan of factions nor debates on religion. i’d rather we just stay calm and just love God with all our hearts.
blessings to you!