Opening Prayer
Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.
Amen.
Passage
Ezekiel 34:11-16
“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. Asa shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land.There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
Reflection - Liz Tetting
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who continuously gathers his sheep to keep them from all harm. “I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again.” There are several situations in my past where I feel the need to literally fall flat on my face and praise God for pulling me out of those circumstances. Some of them I had no idea what God was doing, but some others I was yelling, “Lord Jesus Help Me!”.
The Good Shepherd is always looking out for us. It doesn’t give us an excuse to be reckless, but we can know that the second we cry out to Him, He will always make a way back to Him. When we surrender our situation to Him, we are able to see Him work all things for His good.
Is there a situation in your life that your need to allow Jesus to come in and take over? What does it look like to let him in?
Closing Prayer
My Lord, may all that I have seen of you and all that I have heard from your word now enflesh itself in me. Send me from this place as the incarnate promise of life to all whose life I will touch this day.
Amen.