Bruised and Hurting But Cared For

To a young child, there is something magical about a mother's kiss. Usually after experiencing a bit of hurt, the crying child comes to mother and somehow as soon as she kisses the hurting spot it is as if all is well with the world again. Some of you are chuckling because you remember those and other "let me kiss it again" moments.

The sheep in the shepherd's care also had its bruising moments. Though the plateau was prepared and the "enemies" in the form of poison and prickly plants removed, every now and again the sheep's head and tender nose would get bruised by the edges of stones buried in the grass. This is in addition to the long hours spent in the hot sun as it made its way from pasture to pasture. So at the end of the day, not only is the flock tired but some of the sheep are bruised and hurting. As they made their way into the fold, the caring shepherd would stand by the door and examine each sheep individually. In his "The Healing Power of the 23rd Psalm" Charles Allen tells us that at this moment, "If there were hurt places, the shepherd would apply soothing and healing oil. Instead of becoming infected, the hurt would soon heal. Also, the shepherd had a large earthen jug of water, the kind of a jar that kept the water refreshingly cool through evaporation. As the sheep came in, the shepherd would dip down into the water with his big cup and bring it up brimful. The tired sheep drank deeply of the life-quickening draft."

This was the picture in David's mind as he reflected on his Shepherd's care, "Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5b). He was intimately aware that whatever hurt and exhaustion he experienced, the LORD as his Shepherd would daily tend to those. Not only would He pour the oil of healing in to his wounds, but He would also provide the refreshing, from an overflowing cup, that his body and soul needed.

As the Christian goes through life, we too experience bruising and hurting moments when all we want is for someone to "kiss" our bruises and make the hurts go away. For some of us life has been cruel; the hurts have been many and the joys too few. Despite our best efforts, our energies are spent and our physical and spiritual man exhausted. However, like the Psalmist, let us understand and appreciate that at the end of every day, we can trust the LORD, if we make Him our Shepherd, to "anoint" our hurts with His healing oil and from His unlimited supply, He offers us an overflowing cup from which to drink.

We cannot escape the bumps and the bruises. What we have is a Shepherd who cares. We may feel like one among many but we are reminded that “He calleth his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). He knows who you are, where you are hurting, and He is committed to ministering to you. Allen writes, "I like that. It makes me feel important" and I readily agree. I encourage you to run to "Daddy"; to trust your Shepherd with your hurts. Not only does He know what He is doing, He also knows exactly what to do. And His "kisses" are more than magical.