Meditate On
Under the Care of the Good Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to
lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my
soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1–4
If we’re honest, we all have some measure of wrong
believing in our lives. Just ask yourself, “Have I often felt anxious, worried,
or fearful that the worst would happen to me and my loved ones?” These
negative, exhausting emotions are merely flags that indicate what we truly
believe about ourselves, our lives, and God.
When we are fearful and worried all the time, we are
living as if we don’t believe that we have a strong and able Shepherd who is
tenderhearted toward us, who leads us to good places, who protects us and
lovingly watches over us. So if worrying or being fearful seems to be your
natural default mode, what you need to do is to keep hearing and learning about
how much God loves you, and how precious you are to Him.
That is why the way out of constant worrying is not a
matter of just thinking positively; it’s birthed out of knowing you have a
personal and intimate relationship with a loving Savior who watches over your
needs and tends to you as a loving Shepherd. The more strongly you believe that
He is taking care of you, the more it will change your thoughts and feelings,
and the less you will fall victim to unhealthy emotions and behaviors.
Today, if you need freedom from a bad situation, see
Jesus, your good Shepherd, leading you out of it by His Word that brings life
and illumination. The psalmist says it this way: “Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). In The Message translation, it
says, “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on
my dark path.”
My friend, the Lord wants to throw a beam of light on
your path today. Whatever you are struggling with presently, no matter how
insurmountable your challenges appear, when you start believing right, things
are going to start turning around for your good!
BLESSINGS
JOSEPH PRINCE
