December 12 He Leads
December 12
He Leads
“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
—John 10:3–4
Ever get the feeling you’re somewhere out in front of God as you move through your week? You bump up against a trial, and you know from Scripture that God is going to work all things together for good, but somehow you have the idea He’s behind you, armed with a dustpan and broom, ready to do a cleanup job on you and your problem.
Or perhaps you imagine God standing a few paces back with a bottle of glue, ready to pick up the broken pieces of your life and paste them back together. Or do you imagine Him with hammer and nails ready to follow after you and do a patch-up job should things fall apart?
If you feel as though God’s principal activity in your life is to follow behind you and throw a rope after you’ve fallen headlong into a trial, then you need to memorize our verse for today. A shepherd never follows his flock, he leads them. Jesus Himself says that He goes on ahead. He blazes a straight path and charts the way.
Never is God surprised by your trials. Never does He push you out ahead and back you up with a dustpan and broom. God is out in front. In fact, God totally encompasses you, front, side, and rear guard. As it says in Psalm 139:5-6, “You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
Thank You for leading me, Lord Thank You for charting all of my days, planning every event so that it fits miraculously into a pattern of good for my life.