A Prayer to Be Gently Led
By Jessica Van Roekel
"He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." - Isaiah 40:11, ESV
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,” writes the Psalmist and I recite it to remind myself of God’s great care of me. It’s a comforting reminder when the weight of responsibilities lies heavy on my shoulders. There is much we are called to care for and much we don’t know. We can imagine we do, and we can put on a knowledgeable façade, but if we fail to rely on our Shepherd to lead us, we lose the way. Did you know sheep need to be directed to good pasture and must be moved to new pasture after they’ve exhausted the nutrients in the current field? They can’t find the best pasture without direction, and they would overstay if their shepherd didn’t intervene. God moves us to new pastures when needed, but in our stubbornness, we sometimes resist.
Today’s verse calls us to behold the loving shepherd. A shepherd carries a rod and staff, a tool to defend, and a tool to rescue. The lambs are the weakest and youngest who need special care. They are not slung over the shoulder but carried close to the shepherd’s chest. Charles Spurgeon writes, “The shoulders are for power, the back for force, but the bosom is the seat of love.” God, our shepherd, loves us, gathers us to him, and gently leads us. The Old Testament carries the shepherd metaphor into the New Testament. Abel was the sacrificed shepherd, Jacob, the working shepherd, Joseph the persecuted and exalted shepherd, Moses, the deliverer shepherd, and David, the Shepherd King. These shepherds point us to Jesus.
John 10:11 states, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Along with, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,” from Hebrews 13:20 and 1 Peter 5:4, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd.
While Isaiah refers to God’s limitless wisdom, greatness, and majesty in chapter 40, he pauses to remind us of God’s desire and ability to care for us in a personal way. God, our Shepherd, rescues, protects, and keeps us close to him. We have no need to fear except when we go our own way, which leads us out of the Good Shepherd’s guidance and protection. Even then, he opens his arms to the exiled, the lost, and the independent to gather them close. God, whose arms support the weak, is there to guide and gently lead us. The Hebrew term for this phrase means to protect, sustain, or guide to a watering place. Life can be scattered with potholes, detours, deserts, and breakdowns. But when we allow God to carry us close to his heart, he brings us to a place of refreshment and guides us from pasture to pasture.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father,
We need you more than ever. We face challenges every day. Sometimes, we lose our way because we don’t want to follow you through the desert to get to the next refreshing place you have for us. Other times, we wander away because we think we know best. Forgive us for choosing our independence over-dependence on you. Rescue us. Sustain us. Lead us to refreshment. Gather us to you, we who go our own way, and shepherd us. Thank you for leading us gently. Thank you for carrying us when we’re too weak to go on. We need your tenderness in the hardships of life. Search for us when we get lost, and let us be found by you. You are so great, and nothing compares to you. In you, we find our way, and so we place our care in your hands. We trust you to protect us with your rod and guide us with your staff. Gently lead us to where you want us to go.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Originally published Sunday, 25 August 2024.
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