Meditate On
Consent to Be Rescued
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one
of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one
which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and
neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which
was lost!’”
Luke 15:4–6
Do you remember the parable of the lost sheep Jesus told
in Luke 15? When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he lifted it up and laid it
upon his strong shoulders. What did the sheep do? Nothing. It just consented to
be rescued by the shepherd. Jesus calls this consent on the part of the sheep
“repentance”—“there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than
over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7, boldface
mine).
That is what God invites us to do today—to consent to be
protected. He wants us to be on His shoulders, in the safety of Himself as our
impenetrable fortress. In this place, no predator can attack His sheep. On His
shoulders, you are highly exalted above all your troubles, above all danger,
all attacks, and far above all principalities and powers. Yes, far above Satan,
above all the powers of darkness and the snare of the fowler. On His shoulders,
you are far above every sickness, disease, and every name that is named. What a
great place to be!
And does the Lord do this grudgingly? Absolutely not. The
Bible tells us that the shepherd lays the sheep on his shoulders “rejoicing”
(Luke 15:5). Our Lord rescues us with great joy in His heart and a big smile on
His face.
Beloved, the safest place you can be today is on His
shoulders. Jesus is your city of refuge. In your day of trouble, run to Him! I
pray you’ll anchor your heart on the wonderful verse that encapsulates this:
“The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the
day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders” (Deut. 33:12). When you
make the Lord your refuge and dwelling place, you shall dwell safely in Him and
no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling!
BLESSINGS
JOSEPH PRINCE
