Devotionals

Day 1

The Lord is my Shepherd

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalms 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Matthew 7:1 reads, ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?’

The Lord is my shepherd… I have read that scripture a number of times; but when I saw and read it again this time, a new revelation flooded my heart. I asked myself if the Lord is my shepherd, then why should I be anxious about tomorrow and about the future?
Be definition, a shepherd is one who protects, guides or watches over another or a group of people. A shepherd herds, tends and guards a flock of sheep.
The shepherd provides food for the sheep to eat, gives the sheep water to drink, a place to sleep, and more significantly, gives directions to the sheep.
If all the aforementioned are true, why then am I trying to do all by myself instead of relying on the Good Shepherd? And the Bible clearly states in John 10:14 that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and we are the sheep.

Sometimes we drive ourselves to a point where emotionally, we break down, and the truth of the matter is, we were not created by God to carry the burden of the world on our shoulders. He admonishes rather that, ‘Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:29).
He is ready to give you rest from every burden of anxiety, worry, unforgiveness, the past life that did not go well and from those secrets that you have been carrying for so many years. The Lord knows about all the secrets you have been trying to hide from even your closest friends. It is not a secret to Him at all. Let Him do the entire burden-carrying for you beloved. He cares about you and loves you beyond your imagination. Whatever you are passing through, hand it over to God in prayer and find rest in His presence.

The book of John 15:7 declares, ‘If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you’. The Master is calling on you to take your habitation with Him and to follow Him like a sheep. Then when you ask whatever you need from Him, it shall be done for you.
This is a divine promise to hold on to in times of trouble. Trust God for a turn around concerning that situation in your life. He is a miracle worker. Let the Good Shepherd lead and you simply follow.

PRAYER
LORD, help me to lean on you completely, without trying to carry my problems all alone, in Jesus’ name.
Father, empower me to abide in your word, to trust in your word and to live a life of total dependence on you, in Jesus’ name.

Point to ponder on
Jesus Christ is my Shepherd; all I need to do is simply follow.

One Year reading plan
Genesis 1-2
Luke 5:27-39
Psalms 1