My Shepherd and my Pasture

[laharper]

Jeremiah 50:7
"All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, "We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the Lord, the true pasture, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors."

What an indictment against me, that the adversary would understand better than I understand, who the Lord is/should be in my life. “The Lord is my shepherd�…, I knew as a child, but I am too long understanding that He is my Shepherd and my true Pasture. As my Shepherd, He will not guide me to a destination of my own self- centered choosing, but He will guide me to Himself, my Pasture, if I don’t resist the wilderness.

Yet, I can recall times when I was thrust into the “wilderness� only to have Him show Himself so mightily as my Pasture. One stands out in particular. A dream of 10 years was finally being realized; eight weeks in the rural area of Wamunyu Town Kenya to teach English and Math to teenagers at a sewing school. Two weeks before my international mission, the prominent pastor who had pledged his church’s financial support, reneged on that promise. “Oh God, how could you let him do this to me,� I moaned. And within two weeks, people who heard of my plight responded with such generosity that I left for Kenya as scheduled, with five times the amount of money that I had budgeted to have.

“Take your eyes off of man� I sensed the Lord saying. “I will provide for you from whatever source I choose. This is My mission, not yours.“ Now I know He was saying to me, I am your Shepherd, and I am your Pasture, too.

Dear Lord, I thank you for being my Shepherd and my Pasture, the sustainer of life and Life itself. Forgive me for minimizing who You are. I acknowledge I am a sheep, with all the characteristics of a sheep. Teach me to trust you with my whole heart. Teach me to be trustworthy with my whole heart so those I shepherd will be able to trust me as I lead them to embrace a closer relationship with you-even in the wilderness.