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Staying Close to the Shepherd

The King of Israel, the LORD, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. - ZEPHANIAH 3:15

A classic example of the way in which the divine Shepherd ministers to His children is seen in Luke 22:24-32. Jesus tells Simon Peter that Satan has sought to tempt him and sift him like wheat but that He has prayed that Peter's faith might not fail in that moment of overwhelming testing.

Where would I have been, where would you have been, but for that blessed ministry of the divine Shepherd - going before us, anticipating our circumstances, and supportively working and praying for us, so that we might not be overtaken by the enemy of our souls? If He did not minister to us in this way . . . where should we be?

This does not mean, of course, that the responsibility for our safety and security rest entirely on our divine Shepherd. We, too, have a responsibility - a responsibility to make sure that we keep as close to Him as we possibly can. This is the one sure place of safety. "It is always the distant sheep, the roamers, the wanderers," says one shepherd, "which are picked off by predators in an unsuspecting moment. Sometimes the sheep is so overtaken by fear that it is too frightened to even cry out. It might give a plaintive bleat before its blood is spilled."

The divine Shepherd wants to forestall every calamity that would come our way and strives to keep our lives free from serious dangers and hazards. And, of course, our lives will be danger-free if we stay close to Him, where He can provide for us and protect us.

Daily Prayer
My Father and my God, thank You for reminding me that although You make Yourself responsible for my safety and security, I also have a responsibility - to stay as close as I possibly can to You. Help me to do just that - today and every day. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. Every Day With Jesus