The job of a shepherd is a tedious one that requires the demonstration of the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, self-control, goodness, and faithfulness—toward its flock. Jehovah-Raah is our Shepherd who gently guides us, his flock, along our journey, who lovingly keeps us on the path, who searches for us when we lose our way.
What has become your idol? Are you beholden to your worry, your fears, and doubt? Are you going to food before you head to the throne in prayer? Are you seeking counsel from trusted friends instead of asking God to guide you? How much do you really trust God to be Jehovah-Jireh, to provide the answers you need, the opportunities, an open door for new things to come into your life, and help when you’re drowning?
How many of us are sitting by our own pool of Bethesda? Not a physical pool, but an emotional one where we’re nursing wounds from past relationships, holding onto unforgiveness, harboring guilt for the things we’ve done to others and ourselves? The people who hurt you have moved on and left you with the bitterness, the anger, and the resentment. And when you look over your life, you realize how much time has passed since those incidents you’ve been unable to release occurred
Believe it or not, it’s during times like these when God proves himself to be our Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord is There”, but because we cannot see Him operating on our behalf, we believe we’re abandoned, and once we feel abandoned, then we try to handle our own business. In doing so, we forget to pray, we forget to trust, and we forget to believe our omnipotent God has our back.
