ICS Daily Devotions
In the Hands of a Good Shepherd
John 10:10-15 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
One of the many questions we will be asking whenever we go through tribulation in life is: where is God in the midst of the whole scheme of things? This is the reason why we need to study the names of God and especially how God has addressed Himself as our Shepherd. It helps us in our meditation to keep peace in our heart and our mind in Christ Jesus.
Jesus made a very clear distinction of the work of the devil and His work for us. This passage in the Gospel of John is extremely helpful for us whenever we are faced with a crisis. We are able to differentiate and identify the source of our problem and who is the answer to our problems.
We learned from this passage that God referred Himself as a Shepherd to us. He called Himself the good shepherd of our lives. Jesus taught us that He is a good shepherd who will not just protect His sheep from the wolves but also lay down His life for them. He knows His sheep.
It is not easy to be a good shepherd. Shepherding is a hard, demanding and costly life. We need to know that God will never abandon us in the most trying and challenging moments of our lives. He is there for us. This is an important truth to remember because many people will abandon us when we are in a crisis. We will know who our true and faithful friends are when we are a nobody. Is it not comforting to know God thinks that we are precious in His sight when we feel that we are a nobody? Sometimes, we may feel lonely and stressed out. But we have a good shepherd to take our worried away. He will never fall below the expected standard that the scripture promises.
Isaiah 49:15-16a (NKJV) “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.
Our shepherd knows us personally. These scriptures reveal the character of God and how God takes a personal interest in each one of us. He knows us even before we were even born into this world. The very reason God created mankind was for fellowship and relationship. God knows your name. He knows your inner thought, the struggle, the hurt and the pain. We need to allow Him into our lives. The work of redemption caused us to have a restored relationship with God. Sometimes, we might feel insignificant and forgotten but God remembers us. He has inscribed us on the palm of His hand.
Pause for a moment to let this thought settle into your mind and heart that your personal name is on the palm of God’s hand. Allow this truth to be soaked into your heart. God knows each and every sheep in His sheepfold.
We are able to be encouraged that the Holy Spirit is praying for us and Jesus is interceding for us on the right-hand side of the Father. We are not forgotten. It might seem quite a challenging task for the shepherd to name every sheep in the natural. But praise God that He is omniscient and knows everyone of us by name!
Sermon series: Meditating on the Names of God
