The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, leads me beside quiet waters, and refreshes my soul. Psalm 24
Sheep Need A Shepherd
Have you ever noticed how much people need certainty?
I’m amazed at how I spent most of my life, from childhood to adulthood, trying to order my world, inside and out.
It seemed as though I always lived under the expectation of some impending doom.
There was always a feeling that both my inner and outer world were out of control.
No matter how hard I tried to be optimistic, my rose-colored glasses kept slipping down my nose, revealing this world as it truly is—a dangerous place to live.
Everything from my fear of rejection to my fear of success left me dying daily inside, trying to grab for life through all the wrong measures.
From over-achieving to hiding my sins, I dragged through the days trying to find security.
Finally, worn out from pretending that both the world and I were okay, I surrendered my life to the One who created me and designed me to live in union with Him.
I found peace in the security of knowing that He is God and I am not.
Sounds trite, yet it’s the only answer I’ve found that allows me to truly live in freedom—knowing I’m forgiven and knowing He’s leading me daily to live in the ultimate security of His love.
For about five years after I accepted Christ as my Savior, I continued to want to be lord of my own life, a life which later I realized was no longer mine but His.
Through His not-so-gentle conviction of my I-can-take-it-from-here attitude, God showed me that He was more than able to take care of me.
He would meet not only my inner and outward needs but also my need to live out this life He’d purchased for me, a life spent in loving the people He wanted to love through me.
I needed to realize that there is Someone who will never change in this life and world.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17.
This verse assures me that there’s no change in God Himself.
He’s the one consistent, almighty, never-changing person in charge of everything.
I’ve memorized several verses that lead me to this assurance: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
I’ve found that the word all really does mean all!
Regardless of the injustice, pain, trials, or tribulations we experience, He’ll work all things together for my good and His purpose.
And He is revealed to us and through us in the injustice, pain, trials, and tribulations!
He’s genuinely my security eternally! And eternity, which, by the way, includes my yesterdays, my today, and my tomorrows.
How have you continued to shepherd your life through controlling habits, others, or circumstances?
What would your life and the lives of others look like if God led your every step?
Lord, You are our Good Shepherd. May we trust You with the life You have given us. Amen