In the Bosom of the Shepherd

[Thompson, Darryl]

In the Bosom of the Shepherd 

     He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs
with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those
that are with young. Isa. 40:11.  

     A true shepherd knows and pities and helps the sheep that most need
his help--those that are bruised and lame and feeble. "He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd."  

     Far more intimately than the patriarch Jacob knew the weak, the
suffering, and the lame among his sheep, does the Chief Shepherd know
His flock. He knows what no one else knows. He has Himself weighed every
burden. No one knows the weight like Himself, for He has borne all our
griefs, and carried all our sorrows. It was this that made Him a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. . . .  

     If there is not another soul in the universe that regards you, the
Lord God of Israel is looking upon you with thoughts of compassion,
tenderness, and sympathy. He sees you with your strong impulses when
fainthearted and discouraged. . . . You have the deepest, the richest,
the most refreshing sympathy in the bosom of the great Shepherd. We have
not an high priest who cannot sympathize with us, but One who was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. . . .  

     Not only has every provision been made that when tried and tempted
you should find help and strength and grace, but also that your
influence upon other minds should be fragrant. Not only does Christ know
every soul, and the temptations and trials of that soul, but He knows
all the circumstances that irritate and chafe the spirit. Your great
danger is in being self-sufficient. This will not do for a Christian.
Christ will give you His patience if you ask for it. . . .  

     God's abounding love and presence will give you the power of
self-control. He will mold and fashion your mind and character. He will
direct your aims and purposes and capabilities in a channel that will
give you moral and spiritual power which you will not have to leave here
in this world but can carry with you and retain through eternal ages.  

>From That I May Know Him - Page 53