Good Shepherd

“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. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23)

The sermon today from Trinity Lutheran Church could not have touched me more personally. The topic of the sermon was the 23rd Psalm, one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. Pastor Kevin Jones conveyed the Psalm in a tremendous fashion. He told us that sometimes God wants to move us from where we’ve been stuck. Have you ever been really stuck? I have been. Many decades ago, a succession of extremely difficult things happened to me. I still suffer from thoughts of those years rerunning in my brain. I have grown impatient about these thoughts and have felt God’s hand in ending them, focusing rather on my present and future.

But this wasn’t the crux of the discussion today; it was just the beginning of a great sermon with a lot of good points. One of these was the importance of our reaction to change. “The Lord is my shepherd” – He calls us to move into the uncharted waters. He restores us, providing us with calm and trust. We probably will experience some unease and even reluctance to move and develop into the person we are called to be. But, with the Good Shepherd’s influence in our lives, we can move forward. Pr. Jones believes we are presently being called by God to “move into new pastures, and that, although the terrain may be difficult, the Good Shepherd will lead us.”

Lord, help us to sense your desire to move us into new pastures and places, as the needs for us in your service change and evolve. Help us to not be afraid, but to rest in the arms of the Good Shepherd, and forge ahead in your service. Amen.