O Sovereign King, in the 10th Chapter of the Gospel of John, You talk about the Shepherd, the sheep and the thief. In Your teaching, the Shepherd and gate represent You, the sheep are those who have chosen to follow You, and the thief is the Devil. You speak of me (a sheep) lovingly and describe me as one who listens to You, knows Your voice, and follows where You lead. You say that You are the gate and whoever enters through You will be saved. You warn the sheep to watch out for a stranger (the Devil) who would impersonate himself as a counterfeit shepherd. The sheep must watch carefully because his purpose is to steal, rob and destroy. The thief wants only to take away the things You give (eternal life, peace, joy, fulfillment). The things You give to Your sheep leads them to a more abundant and fulfilling life. The life You give to me is overflowing with love, forgiveness, protection, and guidance.
You describe Yourself as “The Good Shepherd” because You made the supreme sacrifice for Your sheep … laying down Your life for them. The reassurance You give me is that You know me and will make Yourself known to me. While most will shirk any responsibility to lay down his life for something I did, You were different and loved me so much You did it anyway. Since You have earned the right for my devotion, You want to fulfill Your promises because You do not want me to doubt You. You not only obeyed the will of Your Father but to show Your love for Your sheep. Others may say that they love me but You showed Your love by exchanging Your life for mine. As “The Good Shepherd”, You guide me to the gate where I can come in and feel safe. I am so thankful that You offer me access to safety and protection and eternal rest for my soul.
My Devoted Shepherd, my desire is to learn how to communicate more effectively with You. I want to be able to share what is on my heart and then listen intently to what You have to say. I need Your help in learning to distinguish Your voice from all the other voices in my head. In becoming a better listener, I also want You to teach me how to put Your teachings into practice. As my Shepherd”, I am confident that You will protect me from those who wish to trick me or take advantage of me. I believe that You know all my needs and are willing to supply them because You are aware of everything going on in my life. Life always comes down to a matter of choices and in giving me the free will to do it shows Your confidence in me. Since You came and made the “better choice” to save me, I will make the “better choice” to follow You. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Joshua 24:15 Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve … But for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.