My Dear Shepherds,

Kathy was born again but she was like a spiritual preemie. She trusted that Jesus had forgiven her sins, but she didn’t grasp the other benefits of her God-given salvation. She was in our young adult group when I was a rookie pastor and, while I knew how emotionally and spiritually frail she was, I didn’t understand what she was missing.

In Psalm 103 David became his soul’s worship leader,

Praise the LORD, my soul; and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. (Ps. 103:2–4)

Pause the song there on that fourth benefit. When some people put their trust in Christ, they gladly believe that he forgives all their sins and redeems their lives from death and hell, but don’t grasp the wonder of their other blessings. They believe that God loves them in a kind of global way, but they cannot imagine God celebrating them personally and delighting specifically in what they are becoming. They don’t realize how safe they are or just how far and deep God’s grace reaches into their stories.

The crown David pictured was a garland of honor woven, say, from olive branches or flowers. It’s David’s version of the ring, robe, and sandals bestowed by the father in Jesus’ story. This salvation garland is woven from God’s loyal love (hesed) and his compassion (tender mercy). Such a benefit requires a stretch of faith for those who never tasted such love before Jesus.

I think Kathy was like that. Her soul was diseased and she had no idea—none—how deeply the Father loved her. Some people have been fed endless lies about their worthlessness. Others think they squandered their value, once and for all, “in the distant country.” They can believe that they’re forgiven but not that they will ever be worthy of God’s delight and honor.

God doesn’t leave it up to them to figure it out. He starts running toward them when they are still a long way off. If Jesus saved us “while we were yet sinners,” “how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life?” That “how much more” is hyperlinked to God’s love and compassion in this psalm.

That’s where pastors come in. The Holy Spirit assigns us to convey the Father’s personal delight to the saints in our congregation. Some texts ought to prompt us to interrupt our sermons: “Do you realize who you are?!” We pray for ways to convey to bereft counselees how deeply God loves and prizes them. We can walk into meetings, hospitals, and the church foyer with a string of grace garlands on our belt. When we treat people with loyal love and tender mercy, they somehow believe more readily that God does too.

Kathy attempted suicide. Twice. She was committed to the state mental hospital, an abysmal place of anger and despair, where the counselors were antagonistic to her frail faith. At night she’d put her little transistor radio under the pillow and listen to the soothing voice of Bill Pearce as he read Scripture and played quiet Christian music. One night he played the old hymn, “The Love of God,” and that was when God pressed his garland upon her brow. It was like she was born again, again. Three days later she left that horrid hospital, never to return. Kathy’s physical health was never good, but every year till she died she’d send me a letter at Christmas praising God for his love and compassion.

Be ye glad!

Lee Eclov recently retired after 40 years of local pastoral ministry and now focuses on ministry among pastors. He writes a weekly devotional for preachers on Preaching Today.