The Shepherd's my guide

A shepherd will tell you that a sheep does not know that it has gone astray. Unguided, the sheep will merrily go where it wishes to go, and many times, to dangerous pathways.

The shepherd's most critical task is to lead his flock along the right paths. It is the shepherd's duty to make sure that he stays ahead of the flock to guide them so that they will follow his direction to stay on course.

Like sheep, I get lost along the way in life. For most of those times, I am unaware that I am lost, at least an the beginning. In fact, my very mortal nature pushes me to think that I am not lost, or if I finally admit that I am, it makes me think that I can find my way back to the right path.

Most of those times, I did not purposefully make an obvious major u-turn of my direction, which I can surely see. It is the simple straying, through a series of small and unseemly wrong steps that eventually sent me off course.

The sad truth is that in most of those times, I was unable to recover my path using my own knowledge and skill. I can only depend on my Shepherd to lead me to along the right paths.

David knew exactly what he was referring to when he penned Psalm 23:3b ...

"He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake."

I thank God that my Shepherd always gently guide me. However, I have to constantly warn myself that I can still get lost if I loose sight of Him.

To keep looking at my Shepherd, I must keep my quiet time and have periodic time out with Him. As long as I do so, I am able to focus on Jesus and hear what He has to tell me, and so, leading me on the right paths.

Despite having my daily quiet time, I find it most useful to have a periodic time out with Jesus. I would find a few hours off from the hustle bustle of daily life, go to a quiet place such as a park or by the sea, to seek His face. I learn to train my ears and heart to listen, instead of the usual asking in prayer.

My Shepherd never fails to lead and guide me to the right paths because of His name's sake. And all paths for His name's sake are good for me. Hallelujah!

I encourage you to spend regular quiet time and take periodic time off to seek His face. He will surely keep you walking in the right paths.

God bless.

Steven