As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
(NIV Bible)

There are many illustrations in the Bible that speak of God's desire for intimacy with mankind. This is one of my most favorite visual images! God uses an illustration of a loving shepherd to demonstrate how He feels about us.

Just for a moment, shut out the world around you and close your eyes. Try and visualize what God is saying through this picture with the eyes of your heart. Can you see the loving shepherd, gently picking up His little lambs in his big strong arms? Can you see the look on the shepherd's face as He lovingly gazes down into the eyes of each lamb held close to His breast? What a picture of intimacy and safety.

There is no other place that these lambs would rather be at that moment in time. Their shepherd cares for them and has vowed to lay his life down for their protection. He has truly won their hearts. God wants us to know, that this is how He wants to relate to you and I. He is our shepherd and He wants to pick us up in His big strong arms and hold us tightly to His breast that we might feel the beating of His heart.

Can you be a little lamb who needs to be picked up and held? If you can, you will find a place of safety and rest that is better than anything you have ever experienced.

PRAYER
Father, I ask that You would pick me up and gather me in Your big strong arms. I want to hear the beating of Your heart and to feel the warmth and safety of Your embrace. I know that You have made a special place in Your bosom reserved just for me. You are the Great Shepherd, and I am just a little lamb who needs to be held. Thank You for holding me close to Your heart. In the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus I pray, AMEN.