God is Responsible for you: Your Shepherd - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) April 12, 2022

We all think we're smart and that in any given situation we can figure things out. Plus, if there's a problem we don't know how to solve, we've got intelligent friends and the internet to help us come to the correct conclusion. Essentially, there's no question we can't find the answer to.

None of that seems like a problem until we realize we didn't leave room for God in our decision making.

And yet we proudly pronounce Psalm 23:1 saying, the Lord is my shepherd. However, unlike sheep, tend to ignore the voice of our shepherd and wander off on our own.

God told us in Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God. That requires we don't go to other gods, idols and religious/political/social systems to find solutions. Instead, we are to trust in Him and know that He is the source for the fix to every issue. It also means we shouldn't usurp His role in our lives by not calling on Him to guide and keep us as we think of and plan for the future.

Our failure to acknowledge God in the little things and in the large things happens for several reasons. They all can be summarized as conditioning. We've been conditioned to look to ourselves - created beings - for solutions. Our conditioning means we don't recognize that God is responsible for us. He did, after all, create us. He's committed Himself to be our Father. To answer us when we call out to Him. To protect in our times of trouble. To feed, clothe, and provide in ways we can't imagine.

Consider Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And, Isaiah 49:15 - Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

Yet, although He's promised to be there for us, to be our Abba Father, we neglect to approach Him in our times of need. Instead we opt to find a way out of our challenges without even the briefest acknowledgement of our Heavenly Father. The only one who likes it that way is satan. That's why it convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit so she could become like God and therefore, no longer need Him.

Let us learn from Eve to not ignore God and His words to us just for the sake of ego and pride. Let us slow down a bit to ask Him for help or at the very least, commit our plans to Him. May we remember that God is the shepherd who leaves the 99 to recover the one missing sheep. May the Lord help us to remember that He's responsible for us and as His children, we can take advantage of that by submitting to Him, IJMN, Amen.