After reading our focus passage, I truly felt the need for prayer! How about you?
In a more comforting passage of the New Testament, we see that John portrays our Savior as the "good Shepherd," and that we follow Him because we "know His voice." Jesus is the voice of compassion, comfort, sacrifice, humility, and bravery, as He leads us with His rod and staff. (We can refresh our memory of John 10 to let these familiar verses calm our hearts and minds.)
In these anxious, challenging, even dangerous times, we need to listen again for the voice of Jesus. We need to experience again His comfort and compassion as He leads us through these days. How can we listen amid all the loud noises and static of these times? By spending time with Him in mutual conversation: prayer. It's only as we pause and take time to pray that we can hear His voice and follow as He leads us.
In these anxious and chaotic times, we are called to be a voice for Him, to lead those who are fearful and lost toward an abundant life. More than ever, unbelievers need to hear us speak of His light, His presence, and His protection in a world full of darkness. Our voices and our examples are the witness that is desperately needed now. Instead of throwing up our hands, and saying, "What can one person possibly do?" we can resolve that there is MUCH to do.
And the first thing is prayer.
Prayer can connect us again with our Shepherd. Prayer can cut through the many voices and the fears that cloud our hearts and minds.
Let's be determined to journey with Him. Let's make sure that we are holding His hand as we go into new and perhaps even uncomfortable situations. By praying, and by listening to His voice, we can be the voice that others need to hear in these tumultuous days.
Let's pray.
yes.
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