1 September 2014 by Rev Dr Jai Kumar –
WHEN YOU HAVE LOST EVERY HOPE YOU CAN COUNT ON THE GOOD SHEPHERD
The Lord is my Shepherd ; I shall not want.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
(Psalm 23)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD CARES FOR HIS SHEEP
1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
God is our Shepherd and like a Good Shepherd, He cares for us and often He carries us through this difficult journey that we need to endure in this world. Despite all the emotional, material and physical assaults and challenges that we face in life, the Good Shepherd is always there to restore, heal and sustain you in season and out of season.
Philippians 4:19
” And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Perhaps He may not provide for everything ” you ask and want”, but He will surely provide “for your needs”.
DAVID HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
David’s understanding and description of God was so deep and intimate beyond any measure. Despite all the flaws, despite all his short comings, He expressed God so deeply from the bottom of his heart! When he fought the lion and the bear defending his sheep in the loneliness of his wilderness, he experienced the faithfulness and goodness of God. He knew deep in his heart that his God will never fail him nor forsake him no matter what he had to face in his life. That is one of the reasons why he longed to be in God’s presence and be saturated in His anointing.
He says in
Psalm.42:1-2
As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
ALTHOUGH HIS JOB WAS INSIGNIFICANT YET HE WAS RESPONSIBLE
Before David became king over Israel he led sheep in the wilderness. He was insignificant and marginalised as a Shepherd boy. Nevertheless, he had an intimate relationship with the Lord. At the same time, he took his responsibility seriously. He was intimately involved in caring for his sheep and defending them by all means from the predators in the wilderness. God saw his faithfulness and prompted him to be king over Israel.
Luke 16:10 (NIV)
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.
He likened his God to a Good Shepherd! He knew the valley was dark and dangerous and lonely but he feared no evil. He was a man of courage and responsibility despite the insignificant job that was thrown at him by his family.
HE WAS TOTALLY DEPENDED ON GOD DESPITE HIS POWER AND WEALTH BEHIND HIM.
The amazing thing about David was that he acknowledges over and over again that his help comes from the Lord God the maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm. 121:2).
Despite his greatness, despite his power and authority as king over Israel he humbled himself to the point that he is nobody without God.
Prov.3:34
He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
Unfortunately you find people today who speak so arrogantly simply because wealth and pride have overtaken them but David was so humble despite his greatness! Despite his wealth! He said surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life! He said, ” the Lord is my Shepherd!”
THE PURPOSE OF GOD FOR YOU IN THE WILDERNESS
How about you today? You know what? You will never experience and understand the goodness and reality of God until you go through the wilderness. It is vitally important for us to understand that the wilderness is an important place of GOD’S PREPARATION for ourselves if we are to be used by God. The wilderness is a process that will take us to new heights although it’s a very lonely and dark place where help is far and few between.
It’s a place where the breaking and crushing takes place. It’s a place of preparation for the future. It’s a place of testing and trials and in the process your character and faith is built to face future assignments in your destiny that God has lined up for you. This is what David went through the wilderness, the valley before he reaches the mountain top.
HE IS SO NEAR YET WE DO NOT RECOGNISE HIM
By the way, what will the Good Shepherd do when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death? He will follow you all the way through. You know what? Religion has taught us that God is seated in His throne in heaven and He is unapproachable. You need to perform and proof yourself worthy of Him. That’s not true at all! God is an Omnipresent God, He is present everywhere! Like a Good Shepherd He follows gently behind you, He guides you! He helps you! He sustains your pain! He heals your hurts! He restores your brokenness and gives you hope!
Unfortunately, so often we fail to recognize Him when He is so near and manifesting Himself in so many different forms and ways in our lives. He is so close to us. He follows us. Yet never forcing us, yet never leaving us. Using all His Omnipotent power to guide us; the ‘He is who He is’, and that He can be trusted if we would only allow Him to lead us.
John 10:11-14
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”.
Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Capstone Ministries/Capstone Community Church -C3 (Bangalore); Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’
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