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"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise
Him, my salvation and my God" (Psalm 42:11 ESV).
You may have heard of Stephen Ministry. Its headquarters are right here in St. Louis. Founded by Lutheran pastor Ken Haugk in 1978, it is now a worldwide ministry found in over 13,000 congregations around the globe.
This ministry trains men and women, mostly laypeople, how to walk alongside a Christian brother or sister going through a difficult life transition or life situation. There is a saying among those trained in Stephen Ministry. It goes like this: At various times in your life, you will be the “care provider,” and other times you will be the “care receiver.”
What this means is that none of us is immune from facing difficult times. After all, it was the very same David who wrote in one psalm, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my inmost being bless His Holy Name!” who also wrote in another psalm, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you so disturbed within me?”
Phillip Keller, in this week’s reading from the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, tells what it is to be a “cast down sheep.” This describes a sheep that has rolled onto its back and is unable to position itself to stand up. And so, this sheep simply lies there helpless and in great danger of either a slow death or a death by predator. The shepherd watches over his flock. He seeks out the “downcast sheep” and “restores them” by rolling them into position, setting them back up, and then supporting them while their legs become steady beneath them once again.
Surprisingly, it is often the strongest, biggest, and most wool-producing sheep who find themselves in this dangerous situation. Reminder! No matter how strong your faith or how spiritually mature, you will find yourself in a situation where you must cry out to the Good Shepherd for both rescue and restoration. It was true of David as he expressed it in our Psalm above. It is true of you!
The Good News is that we have a God who has His ears tuned to and open to the bleating of His sheep. He knows each of us better than we know ourselves. He is fully aware of your situation and is quick to respond. If His response isn’t always the way you would expect, you can find comfort in the fact that He knows far better what we need in every given situation. If His timing doesn’t seem to match our timing in this restoration process, be reminded of this promise of scripture, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9).
This leaves us with the question: What is a Christian’s responsibility in all of this? Aren’t we supposed to support one another and even “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ?” (Galatians 6:2).
The answer is, “Yes, most certainly.” However, allow me to share another phrase used by Stephen Ministry, “We can be a Care-Giver. However, it is always Jesus, and only Jesus, who is the Cure-Giver.”
Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is the only One who “restores our soul.”
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