Tonight's Word 🌱

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
-Matthew 18:12-14

This week, I came across a piece of art in my archives which has been one of my all time favorites. I don't know who the artist was, but I consider it a deeply meaningful image. It depicts a sheep that has found itself in a precarious position, and its shepherd having placed himself in a risky position to be able to rescue the sheep. Several questions usually surface in my mind when I reflect on this. How did the sheep get there? Didn't it realize how dangerous it was before reaching so far? How did the shepherd find the sheep? How many times has the shepherd or the sheep found themselves in this situation? Why would the shepherd risk his life to save this particular sheep? What would have been the sheep's fate if the shepherd hadn't found him and rescued him? 

The answers are beyond me sometimes, but the truth is it is not just a simple story of a shepherd rescuing a sheep. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:6, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." The Bible also quotes Jesus in John 10:11 as saying: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." As we can see, the real story in the painting is that I am that sheep and Jesus is the shepherd. The questions now become more personal. How did I end up there? Why does Jesus care so much?

Sheep are very intelligent animals, but their nature is also to depend on the shepherd for guidance and protection. The shepherd knows where there is safe pasture, he looks out for and defends against predators, he leads them to safe waters. We seem to end up in precarious positions when we are not depending on the wisdom of the Shepherd for guidance and protection. Am I being led astray by friends? By culture or customs? Unwise decisions? Do I tend to leave aside the timeless wisdoms expressed by my Father in His Word and trust my own understanding at times? Some of these are very conscious decisions we make, that don't always take God's will into consideration. When we end up in difficulty, it is our same heavenly Father we call out to for help out of our situations. The beauty in all this is that the Good Shepherd knows us, and continues to come after us, to rescue us, to help us, to be our lifeline, to love us back to Himself. All because of a love, an unconditional love, so precious and persistent. 2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

The Good Shepherd continues to call out to us, comes out to get us, because we are His children, and the sheep of His pasture. We belong to Him. I can't help but acknowledge the sacrifice made on the cross for us, so that we may see the extent to which He loves us. I can't help but continue to admit that following Him and His way is the best way. Shall we give our heart to Him wholeheartedly, giving to Him everything that might be leading us away from Him, and allow Him to draw us back to Himself? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for such a persistent love that speaks to our hearts time and time again. Like a parent, you continue to wait for us to see how true your love is, and how worthy we are, to be kind to ourselves and walk your path of safety. Forgive us for all the times we have strayed, for all the times we have questioned your love, and intention toward us. Thank You for your patience, and mercy. Heal us, re-direct our steps, create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us, to desire You and what is good for us. Save us, and seal us to Yourself, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Do enjoy the song below. God's love says it all, and we can never run out of words and thoughts to describe, or process it. This is a beautiful and meaningful song, and I have chosen to share the Spanish version because I love how it is expressed in this language for this particular song, however the subtitles in English are included for your benefit. Be blessed. 🎧🙏🏽🙂

Amor sin Condición (Unconditional Love) - Twice Música