“And carries them close to his heart.” Isaiah 40:11 NIV

These words are part of a beautiful picture describing the Shepherd carrying the lambs in His strong arms, close to His heart. It is speaking of His flock, the redeemed of the Lord. If you are born again, you can be comforted by these beautiful words. He carries you, not like a bag of shopping, but as a vulnerable, tender lamb close to His heart. What need have we to be afraid? What unseen enemy lurks ahead? Come, nestle into the arms of Jesus and feel safe.

When you are anxious about the future and unsure of the way ahead, commit everything into His hands and let Him carry you. A lamb cradled in the arms of Jesus doesn’t need to worry about the direction they are going. He is the only One who knows everything and understands you. Being carried close to His heart, the Shepherd can feel your body tremble in fear, your curiosity or your wriggling longing to escape into freedom. As He cradles you in His arms, He will speak quietly to you, holding you firmly and calming you. There is no one like Jesus.

The trouble comes when you don’t take the things that bother you to Him. If you learned to develop the habit of running into His arms every time you met a difficulty, you would be strong and face the world with His courage.

I cannot emphasise this practice enough. Do as the scriptures say. Go into your room. Close the door. Pray to your Father, who is in secret. He will reward you openly. (Matt 6:6)

When you pray to your Father, tell Him everything. Don’t hold back. Don’t pray as if you weren’t connected to the difficulties. Tell Him how worried and anxious you are. Tell Him what you think could happen and how others will interpret the situation. Pour everything out to Him until you’ve nothing left to hide, and then let Him gather you into His great arms and reassure you of His love.

Once you have felt the comforting love of your Lord, you will rise from the place of prayer strengthened. You can never be the same after you have been encompassed in the arms of the Shepherd.

“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” Psalms 91:2 NLT