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Like sheep, most of our wounds come from
living in the pasture. Thorns prick.
Rocks cut. Heads butt. Mosquitoes bite.
So our Shepherd regularly inspects His
sheep searching for wounds. That's
because He doesn't want today's wound to
become tomorrow's infection. Hence,
David writes, '...we are His people, the
sheep He tends.' Others may guide us to
God, but no one does the work of God,
for only God can heal. He 'heals the
brokenhearted...' (Psalm 147:3 NIV). So,
your first step is to go to the right
person; go to God. Your second step is
to assume the right posture; bow before
God. To be anointed with the oil that
heals and protects, the sheep must stand
still, lower its head and let the
shepherd do his work. Peter writes, 'Be
humble under God's powerful hand so He
will lift you up when the right time
comes' (1 Peter 5:6 NCV). When we come
to God we make requests, not demands. We
state what we want, but we pray for
what's right. Like Paul, if God gives us
the prison in Rome instead of the
mission in Spain, we accept it because
we know God will always give what is
right to His people (See Luke 18:7 NCV).
Now, the sheep don't understand how the
oil repels mosquitoes or heals wounds.
In fact, all the sheep know is that
something happens in the presence of
their shepherd, that doesn't happen
anywhere else. And that's all we need to
know as well. Hence David writes, 'Lord,
I give myself to You; my God, I trust
You...' (Psalm 25:1-2 NCV). |