HE KNOWS MY PATH!

 

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

 

HE KNOWS MY PATH!

 

Ps 139:2-3

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

 

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

 

          The Great Shepherd knows His sheep! As a retired “under-shepherd” the idea of knowing the sheep in my care is still a constant thing with me. In morning’s quiet hours I think of them. Most are relatively safe in the cyclical day-to-day life of sheep. Some are sick. Some are grieving. One or two have drifted toward danger. Each one is on a path that will lead to a destination.

 

          The path determines the destination. As simple as that sounds, it is true. The shepherd inserts himself into the lives of the sheep so that he may guide in the choice of a right path. The sheep do not always understand or appreciate the shepherd’s intrusion into their business. Isaiah said, “all we, like sheep, have gone astray.” That describes the condition well because sheep are drifters. Head down, the sheep graze away from the safety of the flock and the shepherd.

 

          Sometimes all that is needed is to provide a light (Palm 119:105). A lamp for the feet and a light for the path reveals whether it is a good path or not. Even sheep, when the path is well lit, can make better choices.

 

Prov 4:26-27

26 Ponder [Hebrew: palac (paw-las’) to roll flat; prepare a road] the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

 

Dear Shepherd, guide us with Thy light and make our path straight! AMEN

 

ARE THE CHILDREN ALL IN?

 

Monday, November 21, 2022

(A personal memory of the holidays)

 

ARE THE CHILDREN ALL IN?

 

Ezek 34:12

12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. KJV

 

          My calling took me farther from home than my siblings, but it was in that far country I found a wife and a life. Year after year we would return to that last house I called home. It seemed to never change. Dad seemed to be always fidgeting and Mom always seemed to be waiting for something, or someone.

 

          When the car lights swept the front door, Dad would be standing there, and Mom would be in her favorite chair. A question hung like a mist just inside the door. Are the children all in? Words cannot describe the joy in the answer to that question. Yes, they are finally here.

 

          Someone named anonymous wrote a poem, thus stealing my thunder. I also wrote one but can’t find it in my archives of forgotten thoughts so I will borrow from Mr. Anonymous.

 

Are All The Children In

 

I think oft times as the night draws nigh

Of an old house on the hill,

Of a yard all wide and blossom-starred

Where the children played at will.

And when the night at last came down,

Hushing the merry din,

Mother would look around and ask,

“Are all the children in?”

 

‘Tis many and many a year since then,

And the old house on the hill

No longer echoes to childish feet,

And the yard is still, so still.

But I see it all, as the shadows creep,

And though many the years have been

Since then, I can still hear Mother ask,

“Are all the children in?”

 

I wonder if when the shadows fall

On the last short, earthly day,

When we say good-bye to the world outside,

All tired with our childish play,

When we step out into that other land

Where mother so long has been,

Will we hear her ask, just as of old,

“Are all the children in?”

 

Matt 23:37

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! KJV

 

Dear Lord, in this nostalgic season of returning, let us make certain that all the children are in. AMEN

IF WE ONLY KNEW!

 

 Sunday, November 20, 2022

 

IF WE ONLY KNEW!

 

1 Cor 2:14-16

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

          To know the secrets of God is exactly the enticement used by the Serpent in Eden. He promised “ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” The obvious assumption is that, if we know the difference, we will naturally choose the good. The result was the opposite. Man chose evil and has been practicing evil ever since.

 

          My lament, as a retired pastor, is that I might have made better decisions if I had had a better understanding of the facts and circumstances. My desire was to neither be a vigorous prosecutor nor a compassionate defense but a wise judge. I wanted to stoop and write upon the ground while things sorted themselves out. That was the fantasy, but the reality was that I had to make important decisions based on incomplete information, some of which were lies.

 

          Paul’s question is asked again to the Roman church (Romans 8:27 and 11:34). Here we learn that the Holy Spirit prays for us according to the will of God because we do not know what to pray for as we ought. God understands that we do not understand!

 

          If we only knew what God knows we would not resist the plans He has for us. When Peter learned that Jesus was to be crucified, he loudly said: “not so Lord!” Peter could not imagine how the crucifixion might be beneficial. He was sure it was a tragic mistake! Because he did not know – he resisted the very thing that would purchase his redemption.

 

          If we only knew what God knows we would welcome the lion’s den and the fiery furnace because we would see the Lord shut the lions’ mouth and join us in the flames. But we do NOT know and that is what trust is all about. Trust does not need to know all the details of how God will resolve a difficult situation. Trust only needs to know the good nature of God. So, we walk resolutely forward not because we see the way clearly but because we can still see the hem of his garment as He leads.

 

Dear Lord, we still desire to know what you know. We are hardwired by the fall to be stubborn people! But let it be enough to maintain sight of you as you lead us. AMEN