"Our Lord Jesus...that great Shepherd of the sheep."
-Hebrews 13:20
Hindsight being twenty-twenty, I can look back over my life and see God's providential guidance consistently plotting my path, though I can remember at times feeling no sense of any path whatsoever, feeling more lost than led.
And yet, all the while, God's hand was firmly holding mine, with unflinching faithfulness. His rod at the ready, His staff securing my every step.
Even those prodigal steps I took that carried me far from home could not carry me outside of His reach, or outside of His heart.
So you think you've gone too far, that Heaven's hand just goes so far? I can tell you, as a beneficiary of God's gloriously fuzzy math, that He who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one (my apologies to the ninety-nine), the One who screams "seventy times seven!" in the face of my sin, still tirelessly and tenaciously seeks out the lost.
When this path leaves us bruised and bloodied, His heart bleeds and bends toward us to bind up our wounds, to take us tenderly back into His arms. He does not leave us to navigate life's labyrinth on our own, but has immersed Himself in the maze, and joined us in the journey, with a single eye on leading His loved ones back home.
"I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick."
-Ezekiel 34:16
~*~*~*
8 comments:
Excellent words, H. I cannot think of a better way to illustrate Jesus as our Shepherd. Lord knows, I need His shepherding guidance each and every day. Thanks for reminding me that He is holding my hand through the maze.
holding hands....sorta takes on new meaning, huh, D?
I love your words... "prodigal steps". That entire sentence stood out like a blood stain on white linen. Thank you for encouraging me. We are never outside of God's reach.
I often find myself saying, "Remember, only God can see around the corners. You have no idea what is coming next. Trust Him. Trust Him."
Amen and Amen! It's unimaginable to me that there are people who go through life without faith. I have known Christ Jesus with me from the beginnings and even when I went off on my own way, He was right there waiting when I returned. There is simply no point, no reason, in life without Him.
Thanks, Lani, you are always *such* a timely encouragement to me too.....
A good word, Relyn.....Can't you just hear Him? "Trust me! Trust me on this one!"
Love it, love how you always mirror my words back to me....what a light you are...
Aint it the truth, Linda? I know exactly what you mean....I was just saying to a friend the other day, "how in the world do people make it through life without Jesus, without knowing Him....what a horribly lost empty scary feeling that would be........
So thankful He saw fit to find me....
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