When the Shepherd supplies the words

My closest earthly friend died a week ago. I miss her presence on the earth, yet I know Linda is with Jesus. She often talked about knowing she was His lamb. I am touched when I think of how happy she is to be with Jesus now. We both found Jesus to be our closest friend.

Many times, I have thought of how the 23rd Psalm shows that the Lord leads us to green pastures and makes us lie down. He wants us to rest. "He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul."

I recall being summoned to the bedside of a dying patient. The family surrounded the bed, and Dr. Simmons* stood at the patient's feet. The patient had passed before I was called to conduct the bedside service. I began ministering to the family, weary from another difficult call.

After greeting the family, I began reciting the 23rd Psalm. Several lines into it, I forgot the words! Yes, in the middle of a Psalm I had recited countless times, I was lost. A few seconds passed. Then I heard Dr. Simmons' lovely voice from the foot of the bed: "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

To make the moment even more embarrassing, I was training a new chaplain, and this was her first bedside service. I had wanted to appear capable and composed as usual. Instead, I stood there without the words I had spoken countless times.

Like most people, I wanted to do my work perfectly—especially in this work that mattered so deeply. But Dr. Simmons understood. Like a shepherd, she quietly picked up the abandoned lines and led the grieving family forward.

What I first saw as failure became an unexpected expression of God's care. The family was not left without comfort. Their loved one's own doctor stood at the bedside and helped speak the words of Psalm 23. God showed me that although I had lost my place, the Shepherd had not lost His.

W. Phillip Keller wrote in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, "When my eyes are on my Master they are not on those around me. This is the place of peace."

That day, my eyes were fixed on my failure—but the Master had not failed. While supplying another voice to continue the Psalm, He was also gently restoring my soul.

A dying patient reaches the place where the “running” is over. Those of us who care for others, however, are often “on the run” from one need to another, sometimes attempting to carry more than we were meant to carry. Then the most loving of all shepherds must use the crook of His staff to slow us down and lead us beside still waters.

Perhaps you are weary today. Maybe you have lost your words, your strength, or even your sense of direction. Your Shepherd is not waiting for you to become perfect before He gathers you close. He knows exactly where you are. At times He may send someone to speak the next line when you cannot.

Linda knew that she was His lamb. Today, I picture her safely held near the heart of Jesus. And if you are feeling lost, remember this: the Shepherd has not lost sight of you. Let Him carry you.

*Name of the doctor has been changed to protect her privacy.