Is the Shepherd Good?

When my Dad was in Israel several years ago, he took this picture of a shepherd and his lamb.  I have always loved this photo and Dad just gave it to Mike and I.  But a few weeks ago,  I questioned whether my Shepherd was really good as we received the news that Lindsey and Kevin's new baby had this condition so similar to Sophie.  How could a good God allow the unthinkable to happen again?
I actually considered this scenario long before Kevin and Lindsey shared they were pregnant. 
As we journeyed through Sophie's story so much of what I learned centered around laying all my expectations before the Lord. But as a mother, I just worried...about the future.  I shared my heart with the Lord, struggling between confident trust in the future and wondering...would you call us to walk this road again and if you did, how could we bear it?  And I prayed that He would give Lindsey and Kevin a healthy baby and so did Mike. I prayed for this so many times.  I read through 90 Days of God's Goodness, by Randy Alcorn...and was re reading parts of it.  This devotional daily resonated with truth that drew my heart back to the character of God, His goodness.
One day, I decided it was time to put 90 Days away.  My heart was at rest.  God was teaching me through His Word in other ways.  So I put it on a bookshelf in the basement.   Three days later, Lindsey called with the results of their 3D ultrasound.  And as we talked on the phone and as I prayed with her, I cried out to the Lord,  I do not understand, but I know that you are good.
How can I say that God is still good?  I keep going back to Psalm 23. 
    The Lord is my Shepherd.  Yes, He drew me to Himself about 40 years ago.  I surrendered my life to Him, and asked Him to lead me, as a sophomore in college..to guide me though the rest of my life.
     I shall not want.  I think of how we do not lack anything we need to face this hard path together with Lindsey and Kevin.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  And He will provide all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.
     He makes me lie down in green pastures.  I have found that in my desperation for His grace and strength, He daily meets me as I sit, am still, and open up His Word.  His Word restores, nourishes, and replaces despair with rest and peace, which are the quiet and still waters of His presence.  Here, He restores my soul, and guides me in paths of righteousness. I believe this is a place where His goodness is real to me, because I am walking in the truth. And even though He may be leading us to the hard part of the valley where shadows lie, I am praying that as we trust the Good Shepherd, He will lead our family through our fears and with courage, and triumph. 
    He prepares a table before us. Daily we will see Him provide what we need each day.  He will lay out the daily bread, I just need to receive and take His provision. We take each day at a time. Sometimes each hour!
    And so His goodness and lovingkindness will also follow us as we follow our Good Shepherd.

So, yes, I believe the Good Shepherd is good.  In Tim Keller's book, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, he says that, "According to all branches of Christian theology, the ultimate purpose of life is to glorify God." In many passages of Scripture, suffering and glory are linked together.
Paul says our sufferings prepare us for an eternal glory (Rom 8:17-18) Paul also says his sufferings are for his readers' glory (Eph 3:13), and in I Peter 1:6-7, Peter explains that the believers are suffering grief and trials so that the genuineness of their faith is proven and shown to be worth more than gold, which is refined by fire,  and will result in praise ,glory and honor when Jesus is revealed.

Some might say that they can't believe in a God who would allow such suffering as we see going on in this world.  And we know we are not the only family going through difficult times.  But I love what Keller says about the glory of God. He says that, "the glory of God means what can be called his infinite beyondness. He is not a "tame" God. This is a God beyond our comprehension, and is one of the aspects of the biblical God that modern people dislike the most."  But as we get to know who He really is, we know we can trust this God, who reveals Himself through Jesus.

I was reading in John 10 this week and Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." And in verse 27-29 Jesus says"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand."  Jesus endured the ultimate suffering by laying down His life, for me, for the world. 

The picture above shows a good shepherd holding his lamb. He is holding me. He is holding Lindsey and Kevin. He knows the terrain, and He can lead us through the most difficult places. 

This picture is now hanging in my living room, a daily reminder of His goodness and how he holds us.  And I got 90 Days of God's Goodness back off the shelf. 






This song, "Be Still and Know that I Am God"  is one of my favorites.  Just click the link.
   
http://youtu.be/U5riGWJ8U10