Leaving Lodebar

Mephibosheth was only five years old when word came that his father (Jonathan) and grandfather (King Saul) had died in battle. As Mephibosheth's nurse fled with him, "he fell, and became lame."
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After David became king of Israel, he asked if there were any "left of the house of Saul." David and Jonathan had been close friends, and David promised to show kindness to Jonathan and his family (1 Samuel 20:15). King David was told of Mephibosheth, who lived in Lodebar.

The word Lodebar means "no word or thing, no pasture, no communication, a parched dry place, no shepherd." This was where Mephibosheth was living. King David sent for him, brought him to the king's palace, set him at the king's table, and restored the family lands to him.

Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray." For one reason or another, we all left the King's house and ended up in a spiritual Lodebar—a place of no Word and no Shepherd. Like King David, God is seeking for ones to show kindness to. He is sending His servants to the dry, parched places, the places where there is no Word of God and no Shepherd (Jesus), so they can bring people back to Father's house.

When we arrive at Father's house, we find He restores that which was lost and gives us a place at His table where we can "eat bread alway." What a beautiful picture of God's love reaching to the farthest, most desolate places, desiring to bring the lost home to a good place where they are well-fed and have a good Shepherd!

"He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me."
—Psalm 18:19