I’ll never forget the empty shelves during that pre-dawn trip to the grocery store. It was a few days into the quarantine, and I ventured out to the grocery store, arriving at opening time and hoping it wouldn’t be crowded. I wandered around the store, trying to figure out meals based on what was available. Many of us have recently felt the stress of lacking what was once plentiful, whether it’s income, a 401K balance, groceries, or toilet paper.  

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible tells us that God will supply everything we need. It’s so familiar that sometimes we forget how truly incredible these words are: 

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Step back and imagine you are an ancient Israelite, worshipping the Lord with your family, hearing this for the first time. I think it would make me stop and think, because this verse makes some shocking claims!

First of all, David says the Lord is our Shepherd. He’s not only Creator and King ruling over all things. He’s more than a strong Rock or Shelter we can run to for protection. He is all of these things, but He is also our Shepherd. He is with us, knows us personally, carries us, and provides for us.

And because our Shepherd is also the Creator of the universe and the powerful King of kings, we shall not want. Let that soak in. We will not ever go without anything we need. 

I’ll be the first to admit this doesn’t always feel true. (I need a vacation, right?!) But we see throughout God’s Word that He provides for His children. He gave His most precious gift to provide for our greatest need: His only Son sacrificed for our salvation. As Romans 8:32 says, we know that in addition to Christ, He will give us everything else we need. 

My Shepherd may not give me everything I want, but He gives me everything I need. As I learn to find my greatest delight in Him and in His gifts, I shall not want. 

No matter what you face this week, your Shepherd will give you all that you need. 

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I’m so tired – maybe you are, too?

I used to find myself exhausted at this time of year because the demands of my kids’ schedules kept me running from morning til night. These next few weeks were supposed to be a blur of rehearsals, recitals, concerts, end of the school year events, and final exams. But April and May are cancelled. 

I’m tired. But I’m not tired from my life. I’m tired of this life. I’m tired of the isolation, the uncertainty, and the monotony. I’m tired of the daily routine of cook – clean – repeat. I’m tired of deleting events from my calendar that I had really looked forward to. I’m tired of not knowing how or when this will end.  

As I dragged the weariness in my heart to the Lord this morning, He brought this promise to mind: 

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

God gave Isaiah these words of comfort and encouragement for the Israelites who would one day be carted off to exile in Babylon. They would feel like their world had been turned upside down. They would be weary of their strange new way of life. They would wonder when and if life would ever be normal again. 

In the midst of their weariness, God gave them this promise: He will renew their strength. To those who have no might—who are laid out on the floor thinking they can’t take one more step—He will supply the power they need to run and not be weary. 

The verse right before this reassurance gives us the proof that God can keep His promise: 

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Our God is the everlasting God who created the universe. He never gets tired, and He never lacks understanding. And He promises His sufficient, sustaining, satisfying strength to those who call out to Him. 

No matter what you face this week, the Lord gives strength to the weary. 

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Back in the days when we used to travel to other states (that will happen again someday, right?!), my daughter stared up at the snow-covered Rocky Mountains rising above her. Her small voice said what the rest of us were thinking: “Whenever I see the mountains around me, I feel so small.” 

Often the challenges in our lives feel like mountains and make us feel small. Right now we are all facing the mountain of a global pandemic and all the struggles that come with it. Maybe you were facing other difficulties before this crisis, and now your mountain has turned into an entire mountain range.

Where do you turn when your problems seem like giant mountains you can’t conquer? How do you even begin when you feel weakened by anxiety, sadness, and overwhelm? 

When the stresses of life are looming, remember these words from Psalm 121:  

“I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

When you look at those mountains and see your smallness, remember the limitless One who created all things. The snow-covered mountains, the depths of the ocean, the infant knitted in his mother’s womb . . . everywhere around us, God is giving us a glimpse of His power, goodness, and might.  

The God who raised those mountains from the ground? He’s planned my future.  

The Lord who holds the ocean depths in the palm of His hand? He loves me with an everlasting love.  

My Father who knit me together in my mother’s womb? Every cell in my body answers to Him.  

When you see the mountain before you and cry out to the Lord for help, you are depending on the One created the universe and upholds it by His will. He has promised to be your Helper and your Deliverer. He can keep all His promises because He rules over all that He has made. Let the wonders of His creation remind you of His power and might at work in your life and in your circumstances.  

No matter what you face this week, your help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.  

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As we start the 4^th week of social distancing and #covidtine, it feels like knowing what day it is hardly matters. But this week is different. This week we remember and celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Sunday, I won’t let my family worship in their pjs, much to their dismay! We’re going to get dressed and take a photo to look back on and remember this Easter when everything was different. 

All these changes in our way of life have been forced upon us because of the threat of death. If this virus didn’t kill so often, we wouldn’t be quarantined in our homes, we wouldn’t be cancelling school, and we wouldn’t be willing to shut down our economy as we attempt to slow its spread. Our world has come face-to-face with death in a way that we haven’t before in our lifetime. 

As we take these drastic measures to preserve life, we can do so with hope in the One who willingly gave His life to conquer death for us: 

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (I Cor. 15:20 and 55, NIV)

Friend, this is good news: Jesus is alive! He is a suffering Savior who died in your place and also a reigning King who conquered the power of death. We read in Revelation 1:18 that Jesus holds the keys to death and hades. Death has no power over Him.

Our risen Savior is the firstfruits of the resurrection. “Firstfruits” implies that there are more resurrection fruits to come! When He stepped out of the grave, He made a way for us to have new life in Him now and eternal life with Him forever. Death has no power over Him, and it also has no power over those of us who are in Christ. 

And so even though we feel the pain of death here temporarily, we can look at Christ’s empty grave and say with Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Jesus Christ took the sting of death for us, so we can face the threat of death with confident hope in Him. 

No matter what you face this week, the risen Christ conquered death for you. 

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