Guided!

Guided!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalms 23:1‭-‬2 KJV

Do I acknowledge and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour? If I do, then the verses in our e extract for today will make sense. I can quote the whole chapter and recite it every morning and night, but there is no magic to what God does; it is all a function of relationship. It does not read that 'God is my shepherd' but that the Lord is my shepherd. There is a personal touch to what you get from God.

And he is described as 'my shepherd'. If you know what a shepherd does, you will appreciate the sacrifice and love spoken about here. The parable of the lost sheep and the story of David tells you of the daily dangers faced by the sheep as well as the Shepherd. But in both stories, you see the shepherd going all the way out to secure the sheep. The shepherd will even risk his life for the sheep, and no living sheep is so lost that it is beyond God's grace. Our own shepherd already laid down his life for us and the only way I can repay that love is to surrender to His Lordship.

That is the reason why I will not want. Whatever it is that I need will be provided by the Shepherd. That is His promise. He also promises a kind of peace and calm around me that enables me lie down in pleasant places. When the world has threatened or done its worst, I come to God and he provides succour, calm and peace. I just note that personal effort counts for nothing here. This is not a function of what I do well or how I do it, but about the work of the Shepherd. It is His name, power and grace at stake.

Do you know the Shepherd as Lord? Is He just one of the stories you have heard or does He know you as His own? Don't forget: all I get is a function of who I know. If you know God, you get all of Him. If you don't, then you will struggle to get anything. His time of favour is here.