Tag: Psalm 23
Day 4–God Personally Cares!
Scripture reading for May 21: Ezekiel 34:15-16“I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them justice.” John 10:14 “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.”
In this passage of Scripture, the Israelites are in Babylonian captivity because the leaders (shepherds) of their nation had failed them and many were sick, injured, and strayed. These lazy shepherds had been feeding themselves and not the sheep entrusted to their care. (Ezekiel 34:2-3) These shepherds had not strengthened the weak or healed the sick sheep. They had not bound up the wounds of the injured or rounded up those who had strayed into enemy territory. Instead of gentle care and correction, they had been harsh and mean. God’s people had become like sheep with no shepherd, and food for wild beasts. (Ezekiel 34:4-5)
God had raised up Ezekiel to speak to the people about this breakdown in leadership and His own plan to shepherd His people in righteousness. This passage reminds us of Psalm 23, where David calls God ‘my Shepherd.’ God would lead His people to green pastures and they would lie down in peace. He would seek the lost and bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. In justice, He would also deal with the leaders, here referred to as ‘fat and strong.’
As those charged with responding to people in need and often weak and injured, we must follow the example of our ‘Good Shepherd’ Jesus Christ. We are called to set aside our own agenda and plans and respond to the call for help from our community members. We use our skills and equipment to care for the hurting. We seek out those lost in a crisis and bring them to better pastures, medical treatment, and connect them with skilled assistance.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Your Son as the Good Shepherd to care for the hurting and wounded. Thank You for calling me and others to represent Your great mercy and love to those who are hurting. Amen.
Day 3–Walking with God
Scripture reading for January 21: Genesis 6:8-9 “But Noah found favor (grace) in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
When I was in my early teens, my father and I were called by a frantic neighbor to come help rescue his son who had an accident with a tractor. This son had been up all night at a prom, and was doing chores on the dairy farm. He was hauling manure and spreading it on a field when he fell asleep and went down a sharp embankment to the creek-bed below. My dad and I were the first on the scene and dad helped me to lift a tractor tire off this boy and asked me to hold his head out of the water of the creek. I held up the tire and began to pray. His legs were still trapped in the soft mud under the overturned tractor. I called upon the Lord and prayed the scripture that I had just memorized, Psalm 23. My dad got a spade and dug under the trapped leg, freeing him. He was bruised, lacerated, but saved from death that day. God’s grace had provided for this young man and the responders!
Noah was a blameless man who found favor with God because of his simple faith. God had revealed a coming flood that would destroy the world. He asked Noah to build an ark for himself, his family, and two of every species of animals. Noah chose to walk with God through this process and follow His specific directions. A side note, the ark God had Noah build did not have an engine, sail, or rudder. God would guide them through the flood!
As first responders, we can face impossible or trying situations that are beyond our natural understanding or abilities. Not only does God answer prayers, He often leads us to provide the answer. It strengthens us to know that we are not alone as we say ‘yes’ to cries for help. All things are possible to those who walk in faith.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for inviting us all to walk with You throughout life. Teach me Your ways and lead me through the trials. As a responder, I know that I need Your grace and favor each day. Amen.