DAILY WORD

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own 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

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The image of God as our Shepherd is found throughout scripture. The prophet Isaiah declared, “God will feed his flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep” (Isaiah 40:11). However, Isaiah also reminds us that “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Sheep don’t have to wander very far to get lost. In fact, sheep often can’t find their way back to the sheepfold even when it is in sight. Their place of safety and security is right in front of them, the presence of the shepherd is right in front of them, and yet they still wander off in the other direction.

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How many times in our lives have we seen the sheepfold, the place of safety and security, the place of abundant life, and yet we turn and wander in the other direction? How many times have we heard the Shepherd calling and yet we fail to heed his call?

Yet when we wander and go astray, God, in his mercy and grace, pursues us. Even if just one sheep is lost, the Good Shepherd pursues that lost sheep until it is restored to the safety and security of the flock. The Good Shepherd is even willing to lay down his life for the sheep. And when we are found, we are not cast off and disgraced, but rather we are embraced and held in the arms of the Shepherd. Jesus said, “I know my own and my own know me.”

Where in your life have you wandered? Where have you gone astray? The Shepherd is pursuing you. The Shepherd desires your full and complete restoration. The Shepherd loves you and is holding you tight.

Receive the Shepherd’s love for you today.

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