Psalm 68:19 AMPC Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
John 15:2 AMPC Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
Dearest Sarah,
I’ve been watching you grow in courage and conviction. Thanks be to God for how He is tenderly leading you along and for how you’re letting Him lead you in this way. Both the leading and the being led are very good things from our very Good God!
You’re realizing that our Good God is indeed the One Who carries you and your burdens all at the same time. My favorite depiction of this idea is found in Deuteronomy 33:12 CSB He said about Benjamin: The Lord’s beloved rests securely on him. He shields him all day long, and he rests on his shoulders. Even though our names aren’t Benjamin, we can rest securely on our Good God’s shoulders all day long. He’s big enough and strong enough to carry us and whatever burdens we have day by day and day after day. Long after our strength is gone, His never will be.
In case you didn’t already know, a good shepherd will carry a hurt sheep on his shoulders until the sheep is healed. During that time, that sheep becomes beloved to the shepherd and the shepherd to the sheep from that close contact. So, if you think about it, as chronic illness patients, we are the hurt sheep being tenderly carried by our Good Shepherd. We have special opportunity to hear His voice, feel His touch, and know His presence, like many never will. For there, between His shoulders, we can learn more and more of His love for us and how to love Him in return.
As much as we might want to try to pick up and carry our own burdens, we can’t because He didn’t design us for that purpose. Instead, He tenderly teaches us what is true. For He wants us to learn these truths:
He is the shepherd; we are the sheep.
He is the burden-carrier; we are the carried.
He is our shield; we are the sheltered.
And these truths don’t change because He doesn’t change.
But He wants us to change to be more like Jesus.
As we’ve talked here before, Jesus learned trusting obedience (see Hebrews 5:8 MSG). And we can too, if, we embrace our assignments as sheep to be carried and sheltered. This is a school from which we never graduate. Or as my grandfather, who was a school principal, used to say, “you’re never too old to learn something new.” For if this “old dog” can’t learn “new tricks” from my Good God, then I’ve grown into (or never grown out of) selfishness and pride.
Because if I’ve grown more into pride, then I’m stuck. And trust me, stuck is nowhere you want to go, much less to be! I may think I’m stuck between the rock of chronic illness and the hard place of its impact on my life. But really, I’m stuck neck-deep in stubbornness and ignorance thinking I can do this task, hour, or day by myself. When the reality is that I can’t do anything by myself, for myself, or through myself. (I know I’ve talked about that before but I’ve never been the best student. I need reminding over and again of His strength being made known in my weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Our Good God knows all of this (and so much more) and loves us still. He gives His love and Himself to us, every single day. And His love is so deep for us, He doesn’t let us languish or linger long in pride. But He reminds us that His pruning of our lives is for growth for His glory and the good of His people. He wants the more excellent fruit for our lives. And I want the same for my life, and I think you do too…that which is beyond my own making, thinking, and imagining. That which only my Good God can do in and for me as He carries me day by day on His shoulders where I am securely held.
As ever, I think of and pray for you so often during the day and night. May our Good God keep giving you evidence of Him holding you fast against disease, doubt, and defeat as you trust Him while resting on Him as our Good Shepherd and King forever.
Much love,
Beth
If you’re looking for more encouragement from this sheep who works as a soil scientist and tries to be a good student, please sign up to follow the blog at the link below:
written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2023.
Soul Scientist 
Leave a comment