You may feel wounded and torn. Sometimes you don't know clearly why you feel down, but there is someone who sees and knows, and he is for you, not against you.
One of the best loved passages in the Bible is the Shepherd Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Ps 23:1–3 NIV84
How often are your feelings torn and confused, and you don’t clearly understand why. But God understands, and he wants to heal the wounds in your heart.
He wants to guide you in the way that is best for you, but if you feel confused, and you are wandering in a fog of discouragement, you can’t see clearly which way to go.
When you go through dark places, you can’t see the light. How can you know which way to go when you can’t see clearly?
Even 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 23:4 NIV84
The Middle Eastern shepherds had a rod, or a club, to ward off wild animals, and a staff to lift up sheep which were stuck and couldn’t get up by themselves.
When you can’t see the way forward, trust the Good Shepherd of your soul.
God sent His eternal Son to be the Good Shepherd for your soul.
Before he became a king and a prophet, David was a shepherd himself. He was a humble farmworker, but he knew God as his Shepherd.
“The LORD is my Shepherd.”
When Jesus preached to the Jews, He said boldly, that He was the Good Shepherd, the Lord and God of David.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14–15 NIV84
When you are wounded and upset, and you can’t see clearly, ask Jesus to pour out His healing Holy Spirit in your wounds.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 NIV84
When the sheep had cuts and scratches, the shepherd would rub soothing oil into the wounds.
Rest in the presence of God and ask Him to anoint your head with the healing and calming presence of His loving Spirit. Invite Him to pour His oil into your cuts and wounds.
If you trust Jesus with your life, you can be sure His loving care and mercy will never be taken away.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. Psalm 23:6 NKJV
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