In this solo episode, host Ashley Opliger shares a heartfelt message inspired by Psalm 23, offering hope and encouragement to grieving moms walking through the valley of loss. Reflecting on her personal grief journey—including the death of her daughter, Bridget, and her father—Ashley reminds listeners that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, walks with us through suffering and sorrow.
She also announces exciting ministry updates, including the upcoming release of her book Cradled in Hope, a new website filled with resources for grieving families, and shares songs and tools that have brought comfort during seasons of grief. With deep compassion, Ashley encourages grieving moms to share their stories, reminding them that their testimony is powerful and can be used by God to bring hope and healing to others.
In this episode, Ashley shared:
Bridget's Cradles ministry updates, including a new website coming soon
A preview of her upcoming book, Cradled in Hope, releasing July 22
Reflections on Psalm 23 and how Jesus is our Good Shepherd
Worship song recommendations
A helpful grief resource, called Through This Valley
The hope of Heaven and the power of your testimony
Full transcript below.
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MEET OUR HOST
Ashley Opliger is the Executive Director of Bridget's Cradles, a nonprofit organization based in Wichita, Kansas that donates cradles to over 1,500 hospitals in all 50 states and comforts over 30,000 bereaved families a year.
Ashley is married to Matt and they have three children: Bridget (in Heaven), and two sons. She is a follower of Christ who desires to share the hope of Heaven with families grieving the loss of a baby.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Episode 59 | My Shepherd in the Valley: Psalm 23 | Ashley Opliger
Ashley Opliger: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Cradled in Hope Podcast. I’m your host, Ashley Opliger. I’m a wife, mom, and follower of Christ who founded Bridget’s Cradles, a nonprofit ministry in memory of my daughter, Bridget, who was stillborn at 24 weeks.
Cradled in Hope is a Gospel-focused podcast for grieving moms to find comfort, hope, and healing after the loss of a baby. We want this to be a safe place for your broken heart to land.
Here, we are going to trust God’s promise to heal our hearts, restore our joy, and use our grief for good. With faith in Jesus and eyes fixed on Heaven, we do not have to grieve without hope. We believe that Jesus cradles us in hope while He cradles our babies in Heaven.
Welcome to the Cradled in Hope Podcast.
Ashley Opliger: [00:0:48] Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Cradled in Hope. I am so excited to be here with you today. God has placed a special message on my heart to share with you, and I am also looking forward to updating you on some exciting announcements that we have going on in our ministry.
[00:01:06] First of all, we have been working on a brand new website that will be rolled out sometime this summer. And this new website is not only beautiful and easier to navigate, but it is just rich with resources for grieving moms and couples.
[00:01:24] We're going to have free e-books that you can download that have a lot of information for grieving and healing with the Lord through pregnancy and infant loss.
One of them will be an entire guide on how to plan a memorial service or funeral in memory of your baby.
[00:01:39] And so we're just grateful to have these resources available to you coming soon. We also will be highlighting the different services and programs that we offer at Bridget’s Cradles.
[00:01:51] We have an online support group called Hope Online. We also have this podcast and a new book that we'll be releasing here in July. And so this new website is going to highlight all of those resources so that families like you can find them easier and get connected to Christ-centered support, which is what we're all about at Bridget’s Cradles.
[00:02:12] So speaking of my book, it is called Cradled in Hope, the same name of this podcast, it is releasing July 22nd of this year, and it's actually already available for pre-order.
[00:02:25] So you can go online to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Christian Book and Baker Book House. Those are some of the other websites that you can find it. Baker Book House actually has the deepest discount at this moment, and so you can go on there and pre-order, and it will ship to you in July.
[00:02:52] I am so excited to get this into the hands of as many grieving moms as possible, the message that God placed on my heart to not only share my story and Bridget's story, but to point you all to Christ-centered hope, that there is hope to see your baby again, and there is hope in the middle of the darkness of grief.
[00:03:08] And the entire book is basically holding your hand, walking you through your grief journey from heartbreak to hope, from pain to purpose, using your grief for good, and having a Heavenly perspective of your suffering, and knowing that the suffering that we go through in this life is not only sanctifying us in our journey to become more like Christ, but also producing in us perseverance and glory that we will experience in Heaven because of the suffering that we went through on this earth and how we responded to that suffering.
[00:03:42] So, I encourage you to pre-order a copy for yourself. If you know of another mom and want to bless them with the book, you can pre-order one for them as well. We will be giving you more information as we get closer to the launch, but wanted you to know that Cradled in Hope, the book. will be out in July. It's available for pre-order now.
[00:04:05] If you go and look at the book cover, my publisher, Bethany House, they allowed me to be a huge part of designing the book cover. I'm going to be honest, I'm guilty of judging books by their cover, and so the cover was really important to me.
[00:04:19] I got to work one-on-one with the illustrator who designed the illustration of Jesus with the mom and the baby. And I think it's just such a comforting picture of showing that Jesus is with us and our baby in Heaven. And so His Holy Spirit's inside of us. He's in the physical presence of our babies right now. That's what the message of Cradled in Hope is, trusting Jesus to heal our hearts as He holds our baby in Heaven.
[00:04:45] Go take a look at that. Share it. I would appreciate that. This is a ministry for me. The book is just an extension of this podcast and of Bridget’s Cradles, so we would love for you to share that.
[00:04:57] Okay, so now we're going to transition into the message that God put on my heart. As you know, if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, majority of the time, I interview other moms and couples, but occasionally I just do a solo cast, which is basically just me and the microphone and, of course, the Holy Spirit leading me and the words that I share. And that's what this episode is going to be.
[00:05:19] I have Psalm 23 in front of me that I want to read to you, and really this message is all about the Good Shepherd. I actually have several references and sections in my book talking about Jesus as our Good Shepherd, how He leads us through our grief journey.
[00:05:36] But I was listening to a song this morning and it just reminded me of how much comfort there is in knowing that Jesus is our Shepherd. And so I've put together a message on Psalm 23 for us today.
[00:05:50] Psalm 23 is actually very close to my heart because when my father passed away here recently in August, he was killed by a drunk driver. On the day of his death, I read Psalm 23 over him before he entered into Heaven.
[00:06:03] And we ended up using that psalm on his funeral pamphlet, and then his two sisters read Psalm 23 at his funeral. And it's just such a comfort to me in a season of grief, and I want it to be a comfort to you. So, I'm going to lead us in a Scripture reading of Psalm 23, and then I'm going to elaborate on the psalm and how it applies to our grief of losing a baby.
[00:06:30] So, Psalm 23, this is read in the English Standard Version, ESV.
“The Lord is My Shepherd, a psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even 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.
[00:07:01] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This is the Word of the Lord.
[00:07:20] I just love the Psalms, I love David's heart cries, they’re honest cries to the Lord in his pain. And this psalm is so comforting to know that David, who was a shepherd himself, so he was used to his flock of sheep and taking care of them, and watching over them at night, and bringing them to sources of water, feeding them, protecting them.
[00:07:50] And so as a shepherd himself, he's using this illustration of us as the sheep, as Jesus the Shepherd, who takes care of His sheep, that He has this rod and this staff that's there. He's leading us. He's taking care of us. He’s bringing us to sources of water.
[00:08:09] And, of course, as we know, Jesus is the Living Water. He is the only source of water that truly satisfies our soul. And so, with this psalm, he's talking about this valley, the shadow of death. And so this is a place of being scared.
[00:08:28] When we're on a mountaintop in life, when things are going well, when life is going our way, and things are seemingly in our control, sometimes we don't feel like we need a shepherd.
[00:08:39] But when we're in that valley of the shadow of death, when we've lost a baby, and things are completely out of control, we couldn't change the circumstances of our miscarriage or our stillbirth, but we need a shepherd.
[00:08:52] And really, we need Jesus all the time. But I think there's something about being in the valley that makes us understand and recognize our need for our Savior and rely on Him in a way that we don't necessarily do when things are going our way.
[00:09:09] And I think that there's something beautiful about the valley. There's an intimacy with Jesus that we experience in the valley because we're relying on Him to get through each day and each moment, as Erin Nelson, who was just recently on our podcast, she shared that breath-by-breath kind of getting through grief. Breath by breath, allowing Jesus to be with us each moment, each breath, each step of the way.
[00:09:37] And so that's what I see here as David is explaining, “Yeah, I'm walking through this valley, but I don't have to fear because You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they're comforting me. You're here walking this step by step with me.”
[00:09:52] And so there's this beautiful worship song. I don't know if you've heard it. It's called Still Waters (Psalm 23), and it's a song by Leanna Crawford. It just came out last year. Go to Spotify, listen to this worship song. It's beautiful.
[00:10:08] She's talking about how Psalm 23 just provides comfort in the midst of anxiety as you're going through the valley of the shadow of death. And so I'm going to read a couple of the lyrics for you, but I really encourage you to go and listen to that song.
[00:10:24] Some of the lyrics are straight from Psalm 23, but then she has some verses where she says,
“Lord, I believe You can set me at ease, Turn this broken piece in me to peace and quiet. I know there's power in Your Word, So I'll say it over and over til my soul's reminded.
[00:10:43] Oh, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leads me by still waters til my fears are gone. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Oh, I know You are with me, my Father, my friend. Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days. I know by Your still waters I'm safe.
[00:10:59] Still waters run through any valley I could find. I'm laying fear down here at Heaven's riverside. Your Word has been true in every season of my life. I believe, yes, I believe still waters run through any valley I could find.”
[00:11:05] I just love this reminder that no matter what season we're in, and obviously here, if you're listening to this podcast, you're in a dark, hard season, and your life has been turned upside down.
[00:11:25] And you're wondering, “How am I going to get through this? I miss my baby so much. I expected them to come into my life, into my family, and be a part of my future. And now all of my plans and all of my dreams have been completely dashed, and I'm grieving this baby that I'm not going to get to know this side of Heaven.”
And that is a very difficult place to be in, and there's a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety and a lot of pain and sorrow. And I love that this song reminds us that we can lay that fear down and that He's going to lead us to these still waters.
[00:12:04] And that's not something that happens overnight. There's a leading, a guiding that happens in these days as He leads us through the valley. And so I want to share with you this resource that was given to me after my father passed away. And it's actually a resource that was created by a church that's local to me here in Wichita, Kansas.
[00:12:29] NewSpring Church is this amazing church. We partner with them with Bridget’s Cradles. We actually do an annual Serve Day with their youth. They do this event called Leading the Way every summer, and they have hundreds of kids that come in, middle and high schoolers, and we actually bring our cradles and our memory keepsakes and the youth work on them as part of a service project with this event.
[00:12:53] But I'm sure you've all heard of GriefShare, which is a support program for churches and ministries. Well, NewSpring created their own free eight-week grief support program, and this is specifically designed for churches, ministries, and organizations. And they have these that you can watch at any time at your leisure, and it's called Through This Valley.
[00:13:19] And so that brings me back to Psalm 23. So they're seeing grief as a valley that you walk through with Jesus, and so these videos are not tailored exactly to pregnancy loss, but they do have some couples and people speaking to that particular kind of loss.
[00:13:38] But I have found that everything that they're sharing is not only biblically based, but also they have a foundation in grief science. And so Dr. Jonathan Hoover, he's a pastor and professor, he and his wife were the ones who created this grief curriculum at NewSpring Church and it's available for free.
[00:13:57] Since I've been using it myself, I figured I would share it with you. There's eight different sessions, and we will link this in our show notes because I think it's a great resource, especially if you can't make it to an in-person support group or in-person GriefShare group.
[00:14:12] Of course, we want to welcome you to Hope Online, our support group, because that's specific to pregnancy and infant loss support. But I think it's also wise to listen to other stories of other people who are grieving and hear more about the biblical and the science foundation of what it looks like to grieve and what's happening in your brain and in your body.
[00:14:34] And so I have found great comfort in these videos, and I wanted you to know about them as well. Again, that's called Through This Valley, and they can be found on ThroughThisValley.com. We will link it, like I said, but I wanted to acknowledge that resource as part of our discussion on Psalm 23.
[00:14:54] I know that when you're in the valley, you feel like you're just hard pressed. It feels like every direction, every aspect of your life has been changed.
Maybe you're struggling with tension in your marriage because you're not grieving the same way as your spouse. Maybe you're having difficulty with friendships and family members who are not supporting you in the way that you had hoped that they would and maybe they're not acknowledging your baby, and that's painful as well.
And it's affecting your job because you're having a hard time focusing. And it's difficult to go to work every day or take care of your living children every day when you're in a season of grief. And you're having to take care of other people when you feel like you can barely take care of yourself.
[00:15:40] And so I understand that. That is a very difficult part of grief, is how do you take care of yourself when life continues on and the relentless demands of life keep coming to you? And you feel like, “I just need everything to stop because I need to grieve.”
And so I want to read 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 from the ESV, says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
[00:16:10] This verse just gives me so much comfort to know that even though it does feel like we are in despair and we're crushed and we're grieving and our hearts are broken, we are not going to be destroyed. God is not going to let this destroy us. If we surrender to Him and we take comfort in Him under His rod and staff, that He is going to lead us out.
And right now we may not see the exit, we may not see that there's anything beyond this valley. But God promises in His Word that He's close to the brokenhearted and He promises that He's going to lead us out. He's not going to let this destroy us.
[00:17:01] The enemy wants to use this to destroy your faith. I promise you that the enemy wants the death of your baby to destroy you. I know that firsthand. I experienced it after I lost Bridget. I'm experiencing it now. The enemy wants the grief of the loss of your baby or the loss of your loved one to destroy you.
[00:17:23] And God is not going to let that happen. If you are in Christ, He is going to raise you up and bring you out of this pit of despair. It is His promise.
[00:17:36] And in the midst of that, He is going to use that pressing. You think about olives, right? And so there's many biblical references to olives in the Bible, how the olive, in order to create olive oil, it has to be pressed.
[00:17:54] And so when you think about our lives as Christ followers, and we are to be bearing fruit for His Kingdom and we are to be producing oil, we don't get that fruit, and we don't get that oil without suffering. And that's an unfortunate reality for us.
[00:18:13] But just as olives have to be crushed to produce oil, we also have to go through refining and surrender to bear this fruit. John 12:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
[00:18:31] There's so many verses about the pruning and how basically Jesus has to take whatever vines are not producing fruit and has to cut them off and throw them into the fire. And this is a painful pruning and refining process that happens to us as believers. But in the suffering, this is when that pressing can produce oil.
[00:18:55] And I love Romans 5:3-5. I'm reading from the ESV, says,
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who's been given to us.”
Ashley Opliger: [00:19:17] We hope you are enjoying this episode so far. We want to take a quick break to tell you about some resources our ministry provides to grieving moms.
On our website, bridgetscradles.com, you can find hope-filled resources on grieving and healing including memorial ideas, quotes & Scripture, featured stories, and recommended books and other organizations. We share ideas on how to navigate difficult days such as due dates, Heaven Days, and holidays.
In addition, every month I lead Christ-centered support groups for bereaved moms called Hope Gatherings, both in-person and online. You can find a list of upcoming dates and sign up for our next support group on our website.
Lastly, we would love for you to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. You can find us on these three pages: @bridgetscradles, @cradledinhope, and my personal page @ashleyopliger. You can also join our private Cradled in Hope Facebook group for grieving moms to find community. We would be honored to hear your baby’s story and be praying for you by name. Now let’s get back to our episode.
Ashley Opliger: [00:20:26] And so this suffering, this pressing, when we feel we're being hard pressed on every side, this is producing endurance, and endurance, character, and character, ultimately, hope. And so what is the benefit of that? The benefit is that we are becoming more and more like Christ as we are being pruned, and we are producing more fruit for Him.
[00:20:53] And so I look at my own life, and I think of all the different trials I've been through, and I've been through many, many before Bridget and many since Bridget. And that's the unfortunate reality that we live in in this broken world, is that we are going to experience trouble. Jesus Himself says, “There will be trouble, but take heart because I have overcome the world.”
[00:21:13] And so this life brings trouble, but in it, and as we go through it, He's producing something that is worth more than gold, which is faith. This is 1 Peter, who talks about how faith is worth more than gold, and how going through the trials of this life produces this faith.
[00:21:33] And character is important, as Christians, that we are becoming more and more like Him and we are righteous, we are living in integrity, we stand for truth and justice, that these things are producing in us the kind of godly character that He wants for us as sisters in Christ and ultimately hope that we know that all of these things will result in future glory.
[00:22:00] There are so many references to suffering being related to future glory in Heaven and understanding that we are citizens of Heaven. We are not citizens of this earth. Yes, we live here right now, but our ultimate home is in Heaven, and everything that happens to us and through us on this earth matters for eternity.
[00:22:23] And so if we have an eternal perspective and we see the loss of our baby and the trials that we go through as opportunities to expand God's Kingdom and to become more like Him, which ultimately as a disciple of Jesus is what we want. We want to become like Him and we want to share the Gospel to make more disciples and make more disciples.
And so James tells us,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
[00:23:03] And so, what is it that makes us perfect in our faith? It's trials. It's trials. And so, James is saying we really need to view these trials as joy, which from our earthly perspective, it's hard to think of. How could we see losing a baby as joyful? That doesn't make any sense.
[00:23:25] And it's not to say that losing a baby is joyful, but it's the suffering that we go through that we can count it joy, knowing that this is producing faith in us and ultimately bringing us closer to Christ, which is our heart's desire as Christians.
And so this is not to say that any of this is easy, but I think it's important to see that this valley that we're walking through and that Jesus is leading us through does have value, that this season that you're in right now is not a wasted season.
[00:23:59] And I think so often when we go through something that's hard or unexpected, and it's not what we wanted in our life. None of us wanted to lose a baby. None of us would choose this for our life story. I would not choose this for my life story, and I would not choose anything else that I've gone through in my life, to be honest.
[00:24:19] But as God is the author of my story, and I see how He's using every single tear I've cried to be used for good and for His glory, and I see how it is shaping me and molding me, He is the potter, and we are the clay. And He is using these things to shape me into the godly woman that He created me to be.
[00:24:44] And when I see it from that perspective, I can be thankful for my trials. Because if I really could go back and rewrite my own story, I would have written it without any suffering. And I don't know what kind of person that would have produced. I don't know that I would be in ministry, or following Jesus, or standing on my integrity and character.
[00:25:07] If I wouldn't have had trials in my life, who knows what kind of story that would have led for me, and where I would be right now? And so I think it's God's grace and mercy that He has used trials to bring me on the straight and the narrow path toward Heaven, because at the end of the day, that's all that really matters is my salvation and my testimony.
[00:25:27] And speaking of our testimony, I want you to understand how much Satan hates your testimony. In Revelation, it says that we overcome him by the word of our testimony and by the blood of the Lamb. And I've been thinking about it.
[00:25:52] As Christians, Satan cannot take our salvation. He can't take our salvation. We are sealed by the blood of the Lamb. We are considered righteous before God because of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. And so he can't take our salvation from us. So if he can't do that, what is the next thing that he hates the most? It's our testimony. Why is our testimony so powerful? Because our testimony has the ability to bring salvation to other people.
[00:26:19] It's not that our testimony is the one that's doing the saving work, it's Jesus. But it's our testimony of what Jesus has done in our lives and in our hearts that we share and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to others. And then they decide of their own free will to follow Jesus and Jesus' grace and mercy covers them.
[00:26:40] And so the enemy hates our testimony because it destroys him. And I have personally been attacked so many times over my testimony. The enemy would love to censor me and to take my testimony away because it is powerful.
And the enemy does not like that I'm on this podcast. The enemy does not like that I'm writing books and that I'm writing blogs, and social media posts because what I am sharing points people to Christ. And so, of course, he doesn't like the work that I'm doing. And, of course, I'm going to be persecuted and attacked for that.
[00:27:21] And so I want to encourage you, dear sisters in Christ, as another believer and as a grieving mom who has lost a baby, I need you to know that your testimony of God walking you through this is powerful and has the potential to lead other women and people to Christ.
[00:27:43] And the enemy does not like that. And so what is the enemy going to do? He is going to cause you to want to be silent. He is going to try to make you self censor yourself. He's going to make you doubt that you have the words or that you're not equipped enough or called enough to share your story.
[00:28:03] But I want to tell you, God is the one that equips you. God is the one that calls you. And He will use your testimony for His Kingdom. It is powerful, dear sister in Christ, and so do not negate what you've been through. And maybe you've been through more than the loss of a baby. Maybe you've experienced things in your childhood or in your young adult years. Or maybe even since the loss of your baby, you've encountered other struggles.
[00:28:31] All of that is part of your testimony. Don't let the enemy silence you or take that from you. And you might not share your testimony in the same way that I do. You don't need to start a podcast. You don't need to start a nonprofit. You don't need to write a book. But can you take another sister in Christ out to lunch? Can you share your testimony with her at a Bible study group?
[00:28:52] Maybe you meet someone at a park. Maybe you're out for coffee, and you meet someone. Can you share your story of what God brought you through? And maybe you're not even through it yet. Maybe you're still in grief. That doesn't negate that you still have a story, because I am currently in a season of grief, and I'm not to the other side. I'm not through the valley yet.
[00:29:15] Jesus is still actively walking me through the valley, but as He's walking me, there's still things that I can share about the fact that I'm in this pit, and it feels like there's not a way out, and I'm being pressed and I'm being crushed. But Jesus is with me, and He's walking through, and He's sustaining me.
[00:29:36] And that's your story, too, I promise that's your story. And so I just want to encourage you that as you walk through this valley, there is hope, there is healing, and there is a story that God is forming in you that's going to use your voice for His glory.
[00:29:57] That's the beautiful thing is that our stories are for His glory and we get to participate in that. We get to share that hope with others. And once we get to Heaven, we're not going to get to do that anymore because there won't be any other souls that need to be saved at that point. Once we're on the New Earth in the New Kingdom, we won't need to evangelize anymore.
[00:30:20] We're going to be in a perfect state with Jesus forever and ever, and that opportunity to reach the lost will be gone. And so this is our time to share our hope and what God has done for us, even when we're in the middle of the valley.
In fact, I think there's something even more powerful about sharing your testimony when you're in the valley than when you're on the mountaintop, because people relate to us in our weakness. People find understanding in our vulnerability.
[00:30:51] If we were just to stand on the mountain and talk about how perfect our life is and how everything's been great and God's good and all of that, and I'm not saying that God isn't good. I'm just saying, how many people are going to relate to that kind of story? Because we're all broken people. We've all gone through broken things.
[00:31:11] And when we share our hearts and we're vulnerable with the struggle, with the pain, other women are going to understand that because they may be going through something similar.
[00:31:21] And so I just want to encourage you, sister in Christ, that through this valley, He is forming in you a testimony that is powerful and is going to be used for good, and I don't want the enemy to take that from you. And I want you to understand that this season is not wasted. The loss of your baby is not in vain.
First of all, you're going to see them again forever and ever and ever and ever. Thousands of years, thousands of years after that, thousands and thousands and thousands of thousands of years will never end.
[00:32:01] We can't even comprehend what that would look like after thousands and thousands of years. But that's what eternity is going to be like. You will never be separated from your baby ever again. What an amazing hope we have as Christians that we not only get to see our baby again but we will never be separated from them again.
[00:32:19] But secondly, on this earth, He promises to be our Shepherd. He promises to walk through this valley with us. He's not going to leave us. He's not going to forsake us. We are not alone. The enemy wants us to feel alone. He wants us to feel like we're cornered, we're isolated, that God doesn't care about us, that we are forgotten.
[00:32:42] But that's not what the Word of the Lord says. He says that He will never leave us or forsake us. And so I just want to close with the final words from Psalm 23. He says, “You anoint my head with oil, and my cup overflows. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
[00:33:08] Sisters in Christ, fellow grieving moms, just hear those words, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Our future home is coming. We will not have to live on this broken earth forever. Our lives are but a vapor, and one day, and one day soon, we'll be in Heaven forever, whether that's when we, ourselves, die and go to Heaven, or when Jesus comes back, whichever comes first. And I think there’s a strong possibility that Jesus comes back in our lifetime.
[00:33:33] And if you want to listen to more about prophecy and about Jesus' Second Coming, I've done two different episodes about prophecy, one with Jessica Speas and another one with Todd Hampson from the Prophecy Pros Podcast. I'll link both of those episodes for you to go back and listen to.
But regardless of which happens first, whether Jesus comes back first or we go to be home with the Lord, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And the house of the Lord is Heaven. And Heaven is a perfect paradise. It's Eden restored. It's the garden that God created to be in unity with His people. He wanted to dwell with them.
[00:34:26] If you go read Revelation 20-22 and you read about the coming Kingdom, it says He will wipe away every tear, and He will dwell with His people. His intention from the start was to be with us in community, but sin separated us. And Jesus was the sacrifice needed to make a way back to our good and holy Father. And so we're coming back to His original design, which was where sin and death do not exist.
[00:35:00] And so right now, death has caused a separation between us and our baby.
And that separation feels unbearable because right now, we have to think about going the rest of our lifetime without our babies. And that is a painful thought to think about.
[00:35:19] But as soon as we step into eternity, that separation will be no more. We will no longer be separated from our babies. We will no longer be separated from God. We will be with Him forever, and He will dwell with His people. And that is the hope-filled future that we have to look forward to, dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
[00:35:44] Let me pray over us as we close this episode.
Dear God, I just thank You so much for this time to reflect on Your Word, on Psalm 23, and the reassurance that we have that You are our Shepherd, that You are leading us beside still waters. You are restoring our souls and leading us in paths of righteousness.
[00:36:06] You walk with us in the valley of the shadow of death. We do not have to fear evil because You are with us. You comfort us and ultimately promise to have Your goodness and Your mercy follow us all of our days. And one day, we will live forever in Your good and perfect Kingdom.
[00:36:26] And God, I thank You for the hope of Heaven. I thank You that this earth is not all there is for us, that as Christians this is not the end of our story. This separation from our babies is not permanent. We will see them again, and we will spend eternity with You. And You, Lord, are our greatest hope.
[00:36:48] And so God, I pray over each mom listening. As she's walking through the valley right now with You, I pray that she would feel Your rod and Your staff comforting her. I pray that she would feel and sense Your presence in the valley.
[00:37:03] I pray that as You are sanctifying her and pruning her and refining her, growing her in faith and likeness of You, Jesus, that You would bring about a strong and mighty testimony that would be used for Your glory, that would be used to comfort other sisters in Christ and other women who are grieving the loss of a baby, Lord, that You would give her a holy boldness to share her story with others, God, that her testimony is a powerful weapon to be used against the enemy, as he wants to attack her in the season of grief.
He wants to make her feel alone and rejected and forgotten by You, Lord, but You are with us. You have not forsaken us. You are our Good Shepherd, and Your goodness and mercy are with us forever.
[00:37:51] Jesus, I thank You for who You are, I thank You for making a way on the cross for us to be with You forever, and for us to see our babies again. Without You, we would have no hope, but because of what You did, dying as a sacrifice in atonement for our sins, You have made a way for us to be with You, and I just thank You for that hope.
[00:38:12] I thank You for the Gospel, and I pray that we would have an urgency and a passion to share Your Name with all the world. It's in Your Son's name that we pray. Amen.
[00:38:30] Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I pray that the message on Psalm 23 was a comfort to your heart. As I mentioned, Still Waters (Psalm 23) by Leanna Crawford, that is a great song to go listen to on Spotify. I also want to mention one other song that came out in 2023 by Red Rocks Worship, called Good Plans.
[00:38:52] I'm also going to link that song because the foundation is also Psalm 23. And I'm going to read just a couple of lyrics, and I want these lyrics to provide you some comfort as we close this episode. [It] Says:
“The Lord is my Shepherd, and He is everything I need. So I will not worry. I will not fear the enemy.
He said that He loves me. He said that He's with me, even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death. And still I know He has good plans. He has good plans for me. So I will take heart in deserts and gardens. He has good plans. He has good plans for me. If I know My father, I know My father has good plans.
[00:39:31] No weapon formed against me will prosper. So the Lord is my Savior. So why should I doubt my victory? Why would I question the rod and the staff that comfort me? He quiets the waters, He quiets the storm inside of me. So what could be better than walking with Him when I believe?”
[00:39:50] I hope these songs bring you some comfort. I hope that you also will go take a look at the ThroughThisValley grief support curriculum by NewSpring Church, and also pre-order your copy of Cradled in Hope, now available wherever books are sold. Thank you so much. And until next time, God bless.
Ashley Opliger: [00:40:10] Thank you for listening to the Cradled in Hope Podcast. We pray that you found hope & healing in today’s episode.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes when they release on the 1st of every month. You can also find this episode’s show notes and a full transcript on our website at bridgetscradles.com/podcast.
Be sure to leave your email address so that we can keep you updated on podcast episodes, upcoming support groups, and other hope-filled resources.
If you’re interested in volunteering or donating to Bridget’s Cradles in memory of a baby in Heaven, you can find information on our website on how you can get involved and spread hope to other grieving families.
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Thank you so much for listening and sharing. Until next time, we will be praying for you. And remember, as Jesus cradles our babies in Heaven, He cradles us in hope. Though we may grieve, we do not grieve without hope. Thank you so much for listening.
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