Summary: <br> In today’s devotional, I’m taking you to the farm for a little lesson on a farm animal that is a whole lot like us. An animal that wanders off, gets in trouble and gets stuck just like us.<br> Psalm 23: 1-2<br><br> The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.<br><br> He makes me lie down in green pastures,<br><br> he leads me beside quiet waters<br> This psalm was written by David. You know, David and Goliath … the little shepherd boy who slayed the giant? Yes, that David. He was a shepherd. He understood the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep. The closeness. The care.<br> While David was a shepherd, he knew he too had a shepherd. The Lord is MY shepherd. David says he is mine. He didn’t say God is the shepherd, he said God is MY shepherd and there’s a difference there. What’s the difference? A personal relationship.<br> Don’t you know God wants a personal relationship with you? He wants to personally care for you. What is it you’re worried or burdened with today? What is it that’s laying heavy on your heart or mind? What big decision do you need to make or step you need to take? Did you know God wants to guide you in that? That’s how much he cares. Maybe you think God doesn’t have time to be concerned about your ability to pay the mortgage payment this month, or that job interview, or your back that’s been hurting you, but the truth is he cares deeply about EVERYTHING in your life. He wants to be close to you. He wants you to come to him for everything.<br> God is your shepherd. He is caring for you – Always. Because of him, you will lack nothing. Everything you need will be supplied.<br> And we are sheep. Stubborn, foolish sheep. Did you know that sheep cannot live on their own – they require a constant caretaker. They are wanderers and they instinctively wander off into trouble … just like us. Do you seem to wander right into trouble quite often? Do you ever stop and look around and think “how did I get myself in this mess?” We wander around through life, we dabble here and we dabble there, never staying still long enough to create a foundation and so God MAKES us slow down.<br> Does God have to make you slow down? That’s what the shepherd would do to a sheep that continually wanders off into danger. He would lovingly break one of it’s legs so it was forced to lie down in green pastures and stay close to him. Yes, the shepherd would break the sheeps leg, on purpose because that is what was best.<br> Maybe you feel broken right now. And maybe that’s not by accident. Go ahead and lie down in that green pasture. See where God is trying to pull you in close to him and restore you. See where you may have been wandering off to could have been dangerous and your shepherd had to step in and protect you, metaphorically breaking something in your life to keep you from wandering off again. Recognize your need to slow down, tune out all the distractions and receive restoration from your shepherd.<br> Are you currently being delayed? Is the process taking a lot longer than you ever imagined? Consider this … maybe that delay is for a purpose. Maybe you’re being held back by the shepherd himself, maybe he’s broken your leg to protect you, or perhaps to help you see the green pastures that are all around you. You want to dart off and seek out greener pastures, convinced it will always be better over here or over there, and you’re missing the green pastures you’re in right now. So our all knowing, ever loving and patient God says “girl, look around – today you’re surrounded by the very things you once prayed for. Don’t miss this!” (oh, that just got someone! You’re in your green pastures, you’ve just been missing it.)<br> Sheep are not only wanderers, but they are quite helpless. Without constant sheering, their backs become so wide with wool that they literally cannot get up from their back and will lay there and die. Now that’s what you call getting stuck.
