The Lord is My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd…”
You don’t have to be a Christian to know this comforting psalm. Because who doesn’t need a shepherd, especially in those tough times when everything feels dark and overwhelming?

Throughout history, people have always looked for guidance—whether it be with maps to find their way, GPS to navigate, or instruction manuals to figure things out. Who wouldn’t appreciate someone to light their path when it feels like the end is nowhere in sight?

In 2016, I gave birth to my first daughter. At the same time, I was hit by a flood of challenges. My husband left me for his mistress, who was expecting her child and I found myself suddenly plunged into deep financial hardship. I was homeless, jobless, penniless, in a city where I had no bearings—
and no family to lean on.

My postpartum experience was intense, but not in the way you might think.
To the world, I had nothing. People saw me only through the lens of my struggles. “She’s the woman whose husband abandoned for another woman right after she gave birth,” they’d say. Or, “She’s the one who fled London in a hurry to give birth and settle in a small French town where she doesn’t know a soul.” Do you remember “the woman with the issue of blood”? I think I was a bit like her. In a crowd, I was invisible. No one saw my tears, heard the cries of my heart. But God… God saw them. Just as Jesus knew a woman had touched Him, God knew I had called out to Him. That woman who bled for 12 years—nobody could tell her name, but God could. God knew her, long before she was born and far beyond her struggles.

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” (Isaiah 43:1)

In the same way, God knows you and calls you by name. Your trials? Your mountains? They do not define you. The months following my daughter’s birth were the hardest of my life—but also the most glorious. No money? God provided beyond my wildest dreams, meeting every single need with pinpoint precision. From the apartment I managed to rent without a permanent job (a near miracle in France), to the food and clothing donations I received from charities and new friends I made along the way —He PROVIDED.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). Walking through this dark valley, I learned to seek the Good Shepherd—not just in pain, but also in joy.

I learned to cherish His blessings, even when they didn’t look the way I expected. I learned to rejoice in the outcome before it even came to pass. Why? Because my Father, through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, accomplished everything on the cross. Every day, even when I don’t see it, I walk in victory. Because my Shepherd leads me exactly where I need to go.

When I need refreshment? He is Living Water.
When I need nourishment? He is the Word.
When I need comfort? He is the Comforter.

Yes, that trial ended in a messy divorce and forced me to rebuild my life from scratch. But this time, I changed my foundation: the Good Shepherd became my rock. The One I built my life on. Today, I’ve started over. I’m remarried, a mother of four, and I work every day to fulfil the purpose
our Lord put us on this earth for. If it was possible for me, I know it’s possible for anyone. Because we have the God of all hope. Hope again. Trust Him.

Jennifer Stacy