The Lord the Shepherd of His People

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

This is my testimony of how my Lord and Savior shepherded me through the pandemic.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

January 2020 

It did not start off easy. I was still caregiving for both my mother and brother. There was not a steady caregiver for my mother who shared an apartment with me. Work was difficult, and relief seemed nowhere in sight. But God led me beside the still waters of church family and the green pastures of friends and family to calm my heart when the going got rough.

3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

February 2020

Had a very rough start with mom having to go into the hospital, then the pandemic hit. I was able to see her, but the timing was limited. Then God did something I was not expecting: He made a way for my mom to join my brother in the nursing home where he lives as a long term resident. (In 2009, my brother had a massive stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side.) He led me to call the hospital services and there I met someone who had worked at my brother’s nursing home before. The Lord cleared a path for my mom to go to the center - something that I had been praying for! So, with mom and my brother in the same place, I was able to have some of the responsibility of caregiving lifted. He restored my soul.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

March 2020

A journey with God through the shadow of death described this time perfectly. Residents of my mom and brother’s nursing home began to catch COVID-19 and many passed away. The world shut down. For the very first time, I was living by myself. I was so blessed that Mom and my brother continued to stay healthy. However, it was God who sustained us all. He provided opportunities for me to have outdoor visits with them and video calls. For example, my mom was staying on the lower level of the building, so I could go to her window and show her the gigantic Mother’s Day card that I had bought her. 

Prayer meetings and online services were God’s rod and staff that comforted me and made me thirst for Him daily. I read many devotionals and spent time with my closest friends to escape how alone I felt in my apartment. During this whole time, God was with me and He was my comforter.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

April – July 2020

God helped me overcome my fears. The fear that I would not be able to live on my own. Always feeling that I would not be able to take care of myself. Turns out, I can’t. But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God turned my fears into challenges and helped me climb many mountains. He anointed my head with wisdom and showed the blessings that only He can provide. My cup indeed runs over and is still running over. I was doing okay in my apartment, and I planned to stay there for a while. That was my plan, it was a good, safe plan. But God… God had a better plan.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

December 2020

The Lord blessed me with something that I never thought I would have: my own home. Well, it is His, I am just stewarding it for the moment. I am grateful every day, because I know that I did not do this. My God, my Lord, and my Savior did this. He held onto me and He did not let go. After I fought so much to keep my safe plans, I trusted in the Lord, ran into His arms, and stayed there. 

There are so many things that God has done and I want to write them all. However, I have written what I could to make it known that I have life in Jesus’ name!

By Heather Milner