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And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.”  Mark 4:26

What a wonderful parable to start our series. It offers great comfort if you need reassurance that the spiritual seeds you have sown will continue to flourish, even in your absence.  When sown into a person’s heart, it works in secret. Jesus intentionally conveyed the nature of the combustible seed of the Word of God.  I can count on its power. 

If I’ve planted seeds in the hearts of a loved one, those seeds are still at work. “Oh, but I don’t see any signs of change,” you might say. No matter. The overarching message of Jesus’ words is that the one who sows might not see evidence right away. Our confidence rests not in our ability to sow but in the power of the seed. God oversees the process, and transformation belongs to God alone. 

I have a window of time with each person in my life. With my children, it’s the first eighteen years. With a spouse, it’s longer. With a friend, there is usually an adequate window. I faithfully plant the seed when there is proximity. That access may one day end, and I may become discouraged, thinking my ability to effect change is over. Oh no! The seeds I’ve sown by the power of the Spirit are still there, still at work, still stirring up the soil and bringing holy conflict. The one I love may be out of my sight, but the Word is more active than it has ever been. 

I can find comfort when I see little or no harvest. While I sleep, the seeds are working. While I pray for them from a distance, the seeds are germinating in the soil of their hearts. My prayers of joyful confidence water the seeds, even from afar.  

I forget how thunderous Your Word sounds in the soil of a man’s heart.  What has been sown, You will faithfully cultivate, and in that, I rest. Amen

Listen to the LORD who created you, to the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

Brennan Manning said, “We often feel like the homely peasant girl for whom the king has come to take a bride.” Our sense of self-condemnation makes us back away from God’s call to live as His beloved. We feel unworthy. Our own view of ourselves overrides His words. Imagine someone asking you today, “Do you believe that God loves you?” You would nod your head appropriately and answer yes. You know the scripture verses. You learned the Sunday School songs. 

But the problem is, our understanding of love has been compromised by our experiences with others. In varying degrees, we have all felt degraded, excluded, rejected, ridiculed, passed over, and a host of other things related to rejection. Each memory festers in our soul. Each arrow of inflicted pain still sits there, infected by time. Oh, how we need our Elohim Hu Ahava to do spiritual surgery to remove the arrows. His Spirit can heal the wounds as the truth of His love replaces the lies of our past.

No one gets to define our worth except our Creator. Not a parent, not a caregiver, not a teacher, not a pastor, not a child or spouse. But many were made to feel unworthy by their parents. They were never anyone’s priority. Work came first. Or other children were preferred. Spouses can communicate that their mate isn’t worth much. Children tell their parents, “You’re a bad father, or bad mother.”  We tend to absorb their opinions. We rationalize that these are the ones who know us best and that makes them credible, right? No.

How do we live cherished in a world where few are cherished? We believe our Father’s proclamations of love, by faith. We are to no longer be crippled by the hole in our souls. The story of our new birth becomes a narrative we can tell others to extol the incomparable Fatherhood of God.

Extoling begins on my knees and there’s so much to thank You for. Amen

I remember sitting in Sunday School as a child, looking at a flannel graph, and seeing a felt image of a lion.  “Satan is a roaring lion…” Mrs. Dixon said. “He’s on the prowl and looking for someone to devour.”  First, this is a dark message for children without telling them the rest of the story ~ Jesus is more powerful than the enemy!  

Only as I’ve grown older have I looked carefully at the scripture she quoted.  “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  I Peter 5:8-9   She left out an important word. Satan is not the roaring lion.  He prowls ‘like’ a roaring lion.    He sets out to mimic God.  Let’s be clear and comforted ~ The real lion is our Aslan, the Lion of Judah.  

There’s an interesting disclosure about lions in Amos 3:4.  Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?  A lion roars to terrify its victim.  He knows his prey will freeze before being easily captured.  Then the lion growls as he begins to devour his catch in order to attract other lions to come and enjoy the feast with him.  Doesn’t our enemy deal this treacherously?  He roars.  We freeze, or so he hopes. 

But Satan is not the lion.  We are told he roars ‘like’ a lion. Remember, he’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s a lion impostor.  This fake lion has already been defeated, and we are the children of Aslan, fighting our fear with this truth.  

“God is a shield to all who trust in him.”  Psalm 18:30

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.”  Psalm 28:7-8

Let’s talk about this big thing that overwhelms you; that thing you bring before God nearly every hour of the day.  I know you wish it weren’t there, that He’d reach out with a sweeping wave of His hand to remove it.  You are frustrated that He’s not doing it when all power is His. David reminds us of God’s declarations ~ He’s our strength and shield, our trustworthy helper. However, it doesn’t always seem that way.

God told His people when they were traveling through the wilderness to Canaan, “Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”  His plan is for each of His children to become mighty in wisdom, strong in muscle strength, and fluent in the ways of the kingdom.  Slaying one giant at a time will build into your life the things that are critical for your future.  Never underestimate what is gained when you walk with God and see the progress that is characterized by baby steps.

God is not stingy, nor is His power limited.  It is His love that restrains His hand from completely rescuing you so that He can do what is ultimately best on your behalf.  I know that this mountain makes you tremble, even despair.  However, by dealing with your fear and choosing to stand in faith, you are being transformed into a champion.  When you can’t see your progress, God can.  You have already changed more than you know. He has been, and is your shield, and He is working on your behalf in ways you could never guess.

I rest in Your faithfulness and my invisible growth. Amen

“You are my refuge and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114

God has been faithful to show me where my hope has been misplaced. 

There were people in my life who claimed to have solutions for things that distressed me. Sometimes they did, but most of the time, they did not. They were unreliable shields.  Misplaced hope.

There were a few who, early in my ministry, did whatever they could to coerce a friendship. They worked to make themselves indispensable, rising to the occasion to provide whatever I was lacking. I let unsafe people close and as their real selves surfaced, I got angry, then depressed. Misplaced hope.

Though lifesaving, God’s lessons are hard to learn. He pushed the idols off my pedestal and exposed them. It took time for my hope in them to grow faint enough to place all my hopes in God. I learned that hope trembles before it becomes a phantom. 

Hope in Yahweh Magen is never misplaced.  In God ~ I have a shield against arrows that would kill my faith. In God ~ I have a defender against all accusations. In God ~ I have a refuge for the storms that loom on the horizon. In God ~ I can take refuge no matter how big the threat.

The roots of my faith are in an un-created God. He is ageless and His names are old and tested. His protective nature is firmly writtenwithin the context of Jewish history. He not only releaved His name to them as their understanding of Him was under development, but He demonstrated it in battle. I can know that this name has stood the test of time.

Oh Lord, you are my unshakeable shield, my hope and my defender. Amen

1. Shepherds were intimately acquainted with nature. They could accurately predict the weather by observing the patterns of the wind, observing their animals’ behavior, and reading the stars. 
 
*We are the sheep.  We are not God.  Jesus is God.  He reads our current environment, intuits the storylines of our lives, factors in how we are wired, and then orders our days with wisdom.  We can trust our Shepherd’s providence. 
 
2. Shepherds were clued into their flock. They knew when one was acting abnormally, saw the beginning stages of an illness, and discerned subtle indications of stress.
 
*Other people can be clueless regarding their understanding of us. They miss the obvious signposts.  Our Great Shepherd does not.  Nothing goes unnoticed.  He picks up on everything, sees what’s coming, and prepares future provisions before we need them.  
 
3. Shepherds possessed excellent knowledge about flowers and plants that could be used medicinally to treat their animals.  
 
*Jesus will Shepherd us in all the places we are wounded.  Only He knows what will heal us.  What He prescribes, even to what seems ludicrous, is precisely what is needed for our wellbeing. We don’t know more than our Creator.  
 
4. Shepherds would move their flocks to better grazing areas, pastureland with hidden water sources, according to the seasons and changing climates. 
 
*Change is usually stressful.  Yet our Shepherd promises to lead us to green pastures.  Leaving a place of abundance fills our hearts with anxiety.  Where is He taking us?  Will the next place be as good?  We can know this ~ we can trust Him to define what is good ~ knowing ‘He will withhold no good thing from us.’
 
5. Shepherds were considered unclean because of their lifestyle and proximity to animal waste and disease.  
 
*Jesus was written off because of His associations with sinners and because He touched the dead.  He took the Gospel to the last places religious people would have gone.  Our Shepherd also leads us to places we wouldn’t choose for ourselves.  They aren’t logical.  Advisors may shake their heads.  But our Shepherd knows what sheep don’t know. Wherever He leads, we are safe in His care.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.  Psalm 84:11

Each of us is valuable because we were created in God’s image. We need others to remind us of this when we face challenges that raise questions about God and faith: poverty, sickness, moral failure, natural disasters, experiences that bring shame, and periods of mental frailty that make us vulnerable.   

Soul care is found in God’s family. It is a safe place to be vulnerable because Jesus’s shepherding heart is expressed there. Others know some of our personal life stories and feel our frustrations, sadness, challenges, and doubts.  

Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law.  Galatians 6:2 THE MESSAGE

So, I must not have unrealistic expectations of Jesus. He is my everything, but that doesn’t mean I can get everything I need from Him while living in isolation.  I will experience the Shepherd’s care within a community. We are all priests in ‘the priesthood of believers’, ordained to carry out His ministry to the rest of His flock. 

There is security in the company of those who love Jesus because of collective discernment.  We study together, listen to the Holy Spirit, hash things out, wrestle with the scriptures, and humble ourselves to understand how God’s truth impacts us.    

The Shepherd’s arms are available and can be found in communities where His Spirit thrives.  Our part is not to hide when we feel Shepherd-less.  Instead of retreating, we must move toward those who listen and love well.  As we share our burdens, they are given the privilege of enfolding us into the shepherding arms of our Christ.

Lord, I will open myself up more to those who are alive to Your Spirit.  And I will commit to shepherd others when it’s personally expensive and do it as You have cared for me.  Amen

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. You have scattered My flock and driven them away and have not attended to them. Jeremiah 23:1-2

Throughout the Old Testament, God expressed a desire to shepherd His people.  He would do it through kings, priests, and prophets.  Yet most were terrible shepherds, and Israel suffered.  They were people pleasers who lied to the people by promoting false comfort. They were also selfish, caring for themselves at the expense of their flock.

My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains and they have forgotten their resting place.  Jeremiah 50:6

God’s righteous prophets confronted these shepherds because the people needed leaders who would care for them with mercy, love, and justice.  God came to their rescue by making this promise.  “Behold the days are coming when I will raise up a righteous shoot of David.  As King, he will reign and govern wisely.”  Jeremiah 23:5. God announced that He would shepherd them, but He would do it through the ministry of this Davidic figure. 

Go forward 600 years. God is revealing Himself through Jesus, the Great Shepherd.  Mark tells this story.  Jesus and his disciples went by boat to a solitary place.  People from all over ran on foot to follow them.  When Jesus stepped ashore and saw the large crowd, Mark said that Jesus ‘had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.’  Mark 6:34   Jesus had divine eyesight and could feel His Father’s broken heart over the many centuries of spiritual abuse.   

Another time, Jesus looked over Jerusalem and lamented, ‘How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!’  Luke 13:34   Such strong shepherding language.  Jesus longs to do one thing ~ gather them to Himself.

When early Christians hid from persecution in Roman catacombs, they worshipped in caves under the city. They painted the walls with images from their favorite Bible stories that brought them comfort and gave them hope. One of their favorite pictures, discovered by archeologists, was the good Shepherd carrying a lamb over His shoulders. This image still speaks to us today. 

Jesus, my Shepherd, You are right here. Gather me and I will not resist.  Guide me and I will not be defensive.  Protect me and I will stay in Your boundary lines. However you lead, I will follow.  Amen

The Lord is my Shepherd.  Psalm 23:1

King David’s resume would have looked strange to a professional headhunter.  

Shepherd. 12 years

Fugitive. 10 years

King. 40 years

For the first portion of his life, David was in the fields.  Sheep were his companions.  When Samuel anointed him to be king, there was no throne to occupy.  David wouldn’t commence his reign for another decade.  He would live, instead, as a fugitive. 

He became the man on the run. King Saul was envious and wanted David dead. Statistically, Saul had the upper hand, with an army and a pool of military strategists to plot the hunt. Outnumbered, David fled through the Judean hills, searching for caves and crevices. But Saul had not factored in God’s mighty power that works to achieve His purposes for those whom he has called.

It was in this tumultuous period that David wrote Psalm 23.  Perhaps you’ve pictured him in better times writing about green pastures and still waters.  It would explain the rich pastoral imagery, but that wasn’t the context.  David was trying to stay alive.  He needed a Shepherd to guide, protect, and comfort.  Only God could bring this fugitive out of hiding and set him securely on a throne.  

God had done something similar before.  Joseph once told his brothers, “Every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.” Genesis 46:34  Yet Joseph, from a shepherding clan, became a ruler in Egypt. When God writes our story, humble beginnings and cultural biases are irrelevant.  Shepherds could become kings.  (And Nebuchadnezzar, a king who dishonored God, ended up in the wilderness, out of his mind, eating grass.) 

The Hebrew Bible’s unique term for shepherd, ro’eh tzon, means lover of the flock.  Our Jehovah Rohi is a caring father figure.  Isaiah says he “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.” Isaiah 40:11  

God carried David all the way to the throne, from fugitive to king. God is never outnumbered by our enemies, physical and spiritual. If we had spiritual eyes, we would see Him guiding, protecting, and comforting us as He bears our weight and carries us in His arms.

Recently, I had the opportunity to pray with two people I didn’t know very well at all.  The life we shared in the Spirit was profound.  One of them took me aside and said, “While we were praying, I had a sense that you aren’t fully convinced of the kindness of God toward you.”

I was taken aback and felt sad if that were true.  But then, something stirred, and I was eager for God to show me something new about His kind nature.  It wasn’t until this morning, still half asleep, that the following thought came.  Kindness is most meaningful when you discover that God loved you way before now and made a way to provide what you would need. 

I embraced these beautiful truths all over again.

God planned to give the expensive gift of His Son from before the foundation of the world. All who dwell on the earth will worship the beast, except those whose names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.   Revelation 13:8

Why?

Because He saw me/you – before the foundation of the world. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless.  In love he predestined us for adoption.  Ephesians 1:4

God looked through time. He saw us. Exiles. Lost. Enslaved to sin and the god of this world.  There would be no way to be saved without shedding the blood of One perfect.  Kindness and compassion rose from His heart. “I will give my Son,” He said.  “One I love ~ for those I love.”  And it was done.

We are engraved on the palms of His hands. Not forgotten.  His kindness is still proactive ~ He sees the future, anticipates our needs, and provides.  This is Providence from Jehovah Jireh ~ driven by the power of lovingkindness.