“Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: I live, says the Lord God. [Ezekiel 34:7] Notice the beginning of this passage; it is as if God were taking an oath, giving testimony to his own life. I live, says the Lord.” – St. Augustine
The Lord lives! Why must we go on fretting as though He were not alive? The Lord has risen! Why must we despair?
We are not orphans without a Father. We have One always watching over us, pursuing us in love, seeking our eternal good.
We are not without hope. We know that all things will work out in God’s wisdom and power. Justice will be rendered, evil will be vanquished for good.
We are not without a friend. While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. He considered us His friends and revealed Himself to us.
God lives! He is not a myth nor a story from our own imaginings. He is as real as the air we breathe, the sun that rises each morning, the majestic mountains towering towards the sky.
Everything else will fade in this life, everything that we see and believe as real. But God will remain, God who is real forever – from times ancient and old, towards the infinite future, and in the present moment right where we are.
“’They will know that I, the LORD, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord GOD. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 34:30-31, WEBBE