The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of August 7
God seeks us out in our times of darkness. He is our good shepherd.
We as humans, like sheep, tend to stray from what we know is true and right. We need a father who is going to lead and protect us, even when we feel like we can manage on our own.
In Ezekiel 34, God accuses the shepherds of putting themselves before their sheep. God uses this story to portray how the leaders of Israel at the time were failing to care for their nation. Without a leader, the people of Israel are left helpless and an open target for their enemies.
Like sheep without a shepherd, without the guidance of God, we can be led to temptation and sin. When sheep are left unsupervised, they have no sense of direction or purpose – they simply roam wherever they please. We are the same way. God guides us to righteousness and brings us back to Him when we are lost.
In Ezekiel 34:11, God says, “Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” God desires us and personally seeks us out to protect and love us.
When we turn to Luke 15: 3-7, we see Jesus telling the parable of the lost sheep. In verse 4, he explains how if a shepherd has one sheep out of a flock of one hundred that goes missing, he will go and search for it until the sheep is found, and then rejoice.
God rejoices in us. He doesn’t want us to be alone, but to reside in Him. We can be thankful we have a God who never gives up on us.