My Shepherd

 Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The familiar Psalm is a favorite for many. It is a Psalm of comfort and reassurance. Jesus is the good Shepherd that will give us peace during troubled times. In this life there will be trials and tribulations. Trouble times will come, and storms are inevitable. Sorrow and suffering come to all who live, the just and unjust. But those who have put their trust in the Shepherd have been given the promise of peace. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.” When we find ourselves going through the valley of despair, He is there to lead us and walk beside us. We are prone to fear and fret about tomorrow because it is our human makeup to stress and worry about “What if.” But the Holy Spirit gives us the strength and power to lean on Jesus and let Him direct our paths. I find comfort in the song written by Bill Gaither, “Gentle Shepherd.” For there is no other we can turn to show us the way and give us peace and comfort. 

Gentle shepherd come and lead us.
 For we need you to help us find our way
Gentle shepherd come and feed us
For we need your strength from day to day
There's no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day
Gentle shepherd come and lead us
For we need You to help us find our way

He Is Our Guiding Light

Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

When it come to knowing the future, we are clueless. We are blind to what life will bring not just the next year or ten years, but tomorrow. Our best plans can be wiped away in the blink of an eye. We plan for the future and set goals because it is good to be prepared and ready to be used of God wherever He leads us. But God may take us down a road that we did not expect and leads us down paths that are unknown to us. We take counsel in knowing that He will light the way before us and will keep us from straying off the path. He sees the pot holes that are ahead and directs us safely around them. We need not fear the unknown if we have put our trust in the God who knows all our tomorrows. He will not forsake us in our time of uncertainty, but will make the darkness light and guide us through this journey of life.

The Spirit Leads

Acts. 8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

One of the office works of the Holy Spirit is to led people to truth. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the God head plays a vital part in the life of a Christian.  He is the promise of God sent by the Father to guide and direct those who seek to follow the steps of Jesus. He was sent to believers to purify the heart of selfish motives, sent to give power to them to overcome the world, and provide direction in the way we should take. Philip, desiring to share the message about Jesus was led by the Spirit to witness to just one person. The Spirit works in the hearts of men individually. Sharing the good news of Jesus is not only done from the pulpit of the church, but it is made possible when we open our hearts to the Spirit’s leading, speaking God’s word one person at a time.

Lead Us and Hold Us

Psalm 139: 9,10 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Yes there are times we feel that God is nowhere to be found. But, He promise to never leave us or forsake us. This is not the time to walk away from believing and trusting Him to carry us through. Even when we may be going through a difficult situation, or a time of loneliness, He will take our hand and lead us to the other side of our trail or hardship. Finding comfort or satisfaction outside of God always comes to a dead end. Like Job, we may turn in every direction and wonder where He is. For “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. We don’t see Him physical, but by faith our eyes can be open to him even when life is dark and uncertain. We can have the confidence that no matter where we our, God sees us and desires to hold us.

God Leads

Ex 13:18 “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea;...”

God leads His children along. The path that He takes us is not always easy. Life’s road for most people is filled with difficult terrain. Mountains to climb and desserts to walk through is not exclusive to Christians. The difference for a Christian is the path that we walked is for a purpose that works together for good to them that love Him. Those that are called and answer the call to walk the way of the cross. We walk knowing that God is in control and problems we face along the way will draw us closer to Him and will make us stronger in our faith. Trusting God as we walk in paths of difficult circumstances is His way of leading us to the promise land. It is not ours to question God’s leadership, but we must believe that He will be with us each step of the way and His Spirit will lead us unerring through the valley of difficult times. 

God Is There

Psalm 139:10 “even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.”- 

No matter what we may be going through, or where we are in life, God is there. Even there, God desires to guide us and lead us. There is no situation in life that is able to hide the love of God from us. Yes, there are some places that God does not want us to go because they could lead us into darkness, but even then, He is there with His Spirit convicting and speaking. “Come back my Child”. Any heart that desire to hear from God, He will not hold Himself back. As insignificant as we are in this vast universe, God desires to have a relationship with His creation. He will go out of His way to seek us out, but we must be willing to go where He leads. When He leads us there, He will not leave us or forsake us.