Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8
Have you ever asked yourself this question, “God, where have I wandered off to?” Do you ever feel that your prayer life is flat, disengaged, distant? What we need is to have more confession in our prayer life to have a deeper connection with our Good shepherd. When we pray, we need to make sure that our prayers are not always so focused on our desires, suggestions, strategies, that we forget to go to our shepherd for his plans.
We need to trust God with our desires. We need to trust Him to lead in our lives. We need to be in a place to hear His revelation. Stop and think about this verse in James 4:8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you. This is all we have to do and God will show up. We can’t do this life on our own, we need to rely on our Good Shepherd to lead us through this life.
When we cry out to God, he will show up. He cares for us all. We need to be honest with ourselves and our accountability friends. We need to build bridges to keep us connected as we go through life’s disappointments and heartbreaks that we all face. Take time to do an inventory of the direction you are headed. Are you heading in the right direction or do you need to get redirected? Have you checked the course you are taking? Are you looking for the Shepherd and his leading? Do you have fellow sheep (other strong Christians) around you? Take some time at this moment and really evaluate your life and journal about it.
How did you do? Have you wandered off the course and not even realized it? Our wandering can be complex and multifaceted. It can be fast and it can be a slow process. However, it came about, it can leave you alone and stranded. Was it intentional? Did something that you found pleasure in captivated you and drew you off your course? It is amazing how things in our lives that bring us pleasure and joy, can also become an idol in our lives. Those things can bring isolation and make us feel alone. IF you have wandered you are not alone, many of us have.
Let’s take a moment and think about the lost sheep. At some point, this sheep had to realize it was alone and the other sheep were gone. What did he feel? What did he do? Did he start to listen for his shepherd’s voice? We need to remember that in the midst of our wilderness the Good shepherd is pursuing us, calling out to us, bring us back to the fold, and willing to take back the lead in our lives. We need to pray a simple pray to get us back on track. The good shepherd comes and finds us when we get lost.
Reread Luke 15:1-7. Who was Jesus speaking to in this parable? What were the Pharisees angry with Jesus about?
Jesus came for the lost sheep. He exposed their sin and selfish nature.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving us so much and so deeply. Thank you for leading us on our journey here on earth. I pray that we will keep confessing to you and keep our eyes on you. I pray that we will not wander off or too far from you.
In Jesus Name
Amen
