The Shepherd will also bind those who were broken, and He will strengthen and heal those who were sick (34:16). How we need the binding and healing! Frequently in the church meetings we have the sensation that we are under the tender binding of the Lord. We have the sensation that some of our wounds and breaks are under the Lord's binding, healing, and strengthening. While we are eating, drinking, and resting, we are under His binding, strengthening, and healing. Praise the Lord!
The Lord also promised that He would set up a shepherd over them (34:23). This was His servant David, who was a type of Christ as our Shepherd. The Lord Jesus always takes care of us. We should not worry about our problems, how to make a living and so forth. Jesus, our Shepherd, is taking care of us. Believe me, He is taking care of us! We must learn to put our trust in Him. It is so good after the whole day and after the night's meeting to simply tell the Lord, "Thank You Lord, I am under Your care; now I am going to sleep. Come and take care of me." Such a simple prayer is good enough. When you wake up in the morning you may say again, "Thank You Lord, I am still under Your care." There is no need to be so religious, asking the Lord to protect you and to do this and do that. The Lord would say, "Stupid child, I know what you need. Don't waste your time. Don't burden me with this kind of prayer. Just enjoy My care." He is our Shepherd. I could give many testimonies of how I have enjoyed His care during these past years. Wherever I went and worked, I was under His care. He cared for me! Hallelujah! We are under His care! He is our Shepherd. I rejoice that we are under His care. We are not a flock without a Shepherd. In His recovery, as His flock, we are under His shepherding. As He cares for us and feeds us, we have the real experience of Psalm 23. The Lord is our Shepherd; we have no want. Learn to experience the Lord Jesus as your Shepherd.
According to Ezekiel 34:25, all the evil beasts will be kept away from His recovered people. In the proper church life there are no wolves, only lambs. In the Lord's recovery, all the evil beasts are gone.
The Lord also promised to break all the yokes (34:27). With Him there is no bondage and no yoke. Jesus breaks every fetter; Jesus sets us free! In the local church there is no yoke, but rather full liberty and full release. Furthermore, under His shepherding the Lord delivers us from all kinds of slavery. In the churches, there is no sensation that we are under a kind of slavery. Rather, there is the sensation of liberty.
Furthermore, the Lord promised that His people in His recovery would never be a prey to the enemy (34:28). This means that they would never be defeated or captured by the enemy. In the local churches we share the spoil of the Lord's victory. We are not here struggling to win the victory; we are here enjoying the victory of the Lord.
Eventually, the Lord promised that all those in the Lord's recovery would dwell in peace and safety (34:28). In these portions of the word are the phrase "lie down" and the word "sleep" (34:15, 25). It does not mean to sleep in a bedroom, but to sleep in the woods. Under the Lord's shepherding, it is safe to sleep even in the woods. I never dared to sleep in the woods. Sometimes while on vacation, people invited me to sleep in the woods, but I begged them, "Please don't put me out there. I'm afraid of the lions, the tigers, the scorpions, the snakes. Don't put me in the woods. I would rather be under a roof." But here it says they could even sleep in the woods. There is no need to be afraid of anything in the Lord's recovery. If you go to a local church where you have to be careful because the situation is touchy and you are afraid, that must not be a proper local church in the Lord's recovery. In the proper church life in the Lord's recovery, there is nothing for you to be afraid of. There is the sensation of safety. At every corner of the church life, you are safe. There should never be a situation in the church life that causes you to be fearful. You should never be afraid to talk to an elder, or to talk to the sisters. Some have asked me why I can be so frank in my speaking. It is because in the Lord's recovery we have safety and peace. I do not fear to speak frankly because this is the Lord's recovery.
The Lord promised that He would make them a blessing (34:26). He also promised them that there would be showers all the time, that there would be the timely rain (34:26). They would have no lack of water. We need not only the rivers, but also the showers from the Lord. Frequently, in the local church meetings we have the sensation that something is not only flowing, but also coming down like a shower as well. Sometimes even at home after the meeting, we have the sensation that the showers are still coming down upon us. This is the strongest sign that the Lord's blessing is upon the local church. He gives us showers of blessing in season, so timely. The showers will cause all the trees to yield their fruit and cause the herbs to yield their rich produce (34:27). The churches then will be rich with spiritual food. All the produce, the increase of the earth, is good for food. In the local churches, there is no famine, no shortage of spiritual food. Sometimes before a meeting there are only five small loaves, but after the meeting twelve baskets are left over. Hallelujah! This is the real blessing. These are signs that the local churches are under the Lord's blessing: the showers in season, the trees yielding fruits, and much produce from the good land. We should never have the sensation that the local church meetings are short of food. If we are short of food, we are wrong. If we are really in the Lord's recovery, we will be rich in food. In 34:29 the Lord promised to raise up a plant of renown, whose fruit would be for their enjoyment. Again, this is Christ as the rich food supply.
Finally, the Lord said He would be with them, that they would be His people, and that He would be their God (34:30-31). This is fellowship in the oneness. This is the mingling of God with us. In the Lord's recovery we have God's presence. God is with us and we are His people and He is our God. We have such a fellowship and such a oneness. We are one with God, and God is one with us. The church is a real mingling of God and man. The recovery of the church life is not a matter of teachings, gifts, or other things, but a matter of the Lord's presence. We are here on earth enjoying such a mingling. Hallelujah for the Lord's recovery by life!