When the Lord is Your Shepherd

CALL TO PRAYER

By: Stephen Osei Kuffour

Date: 17.04.2022

Title: When the Lord is Your Shepherd

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

 (Psalms 23:3 NKJV)

The Lord is a good Shepherd who loves and cares so much about His Sheep. He demonstrated this love by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to pay the price for our redemption. It was not like we had repented of our sins and therefore deserved forgiveness, but we were still in our sins when Jesus Christ came to die for us. We were still in our disobedience and rebellion when the Lord demonstrated this love toward us. For a righteous person, some people may be willing to die for them (Rom 5:7-8). However, who will be willing to die for a notorious sinner? No one! That’s why this love is still the greatest (John 15:13).

Glory and honor be to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd who willingly gave His life for His Sheep. He knew what was before Him, yet it didn’t bother Him. As He walked this earth, He knew that He was just a Lamb waiting to be slaughtered. In the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing what was before Him, He prayed seriously for this Cup of suffering to bypass Him, if possible, to the extent that His sweat was like blood. At the end, He obeyed and accepted the Will of the Father out of love for His Sheep (Luke 22:39-44).

Beloved in the Lord, if the good Shepherd had done all these for you, do you think your one mistake will make Him give up on you? Therefore, when the Lord is your Shepherd, He will strengthen you, forgive you and bring you back to Him when you backslide. He is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after that one lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7).  He is that Father who is always ready to welcome back His prodigal Son with open arms (Luke 15:11-32). This is not a guarantee for us to intentionally backslide or to live in sin. However, this gives us the confidence and the assurance that the good Shepherd will always be there for us.

The good Shepherd also leads His Sheep on the paths of righteousness. He does so through His Word and the leadings of the Holy Spirit (Ps 119:105, Rom 8:14). I personally believe that this is one of the best Blessings we receive as Christians. It saves you from a whole lot of troubles, hurt, disappointments and regrets. I have been privileged to hear the Salvation-Stories of many Believers. One common thing that resonates from these stories, including mine is that all of us wish we had met Jesus Christ earlier.

Some Believers have been infected by diseases which Science can’t cure from their past lives and are now believing the Lord for a miracle. I know someone who wasted most of his youthful years on drugs and hooliganism and he is now trying to settle down to have a family and owes the Government a huge sum of money. There are so many women who have been deceived by several men to the extent that they find it difficult to trust another man even after becoming a Believer. The Lord leads us on righteous paths to deliver us from all these troubles and to also show the world that we are His children.

Beloved in the Lord, one lovely thing about God is that He does all these for His Glory. Therefore, our actions or inactions do not change who He is. When we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, when we are unloving, He continues to show us love and when we sin against Him, He shows us Mercy (2 Tim 2:13). What a good Shepherd He is!

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for sending Jesus Christ to pay the price for our redemption. Let’s pray for all Believers around the world to trust and obey the Shepherd as He leads us in the paths of righteousness. Let’s pray for all Believers to be sensitive to the voice of the Lord, our Shepherd.

God bless you all.

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