God Is Our Shepherd

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1572. Today's Devo is called God is Our Shepherd.

Hey there, we're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Hello, everyone. My name is Lauren Alesi Burgos, and I am your host for this week. Trying to get used to the last name, Lauren Burgos, Lauren Alesi Burgos, but I've got this. And I am your host for this week, and we are talking about the verses we know, but the truth that we need. Just to sum up, yesterday we talked about Jeremiah 29, 11 and how just because verses are so commonly used, sometimes they can even lose, I don't want to say their power because it's the word of God, but they can lose their impact on us because we've heard it so much. It's like when you hear a good song, but it was overplayed, and then you hear it years later, you're like, that's a really, really good song. And I forgot how good it was. That happened to me the other day with like an old song. I forgot which one. And it got overplayed many years ago. And then it's been years since I listened to it. And then I listened to it again. And I'm like, I forgot how good that song was. Well, a lot of times, Bible verses that can be just like overused, I call them Pinterest Bible verses because you see it all over Pinterest, or like you go to Hobby Lobby and you see them everywhere on the pillows. They can lose their impacts because you see it all the time. Not the impact in what the verse is saying. Let me clarify that. It's the word of God, it's just as strong. But what I'm saying is for me, because I see it everywhere, sometimes I'm not reading it with a full heart that I should be. So that's what this week is really dedicated to. So yesterday we read Jeremiah 29, 11. Today we're reading out of Psalm 23, 1. Today's episode is called God is Our Shepherd. Psalm 23.1 says this the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. There's such a good song. It's like, I shall not want, I shall not want. And it's so good. Um and I feel like, yes, I hear this verse enough, but again, letting this verse sit with me and what that really means is just I don't I don't let it sit with me enough. I don't kind of soak and meditate on this verse enough. Because what is a shepherd? Well, a shepherd guides, protects, feeds, and cares for his sheep. He he kind of anticipates the needs of his sheep. Do they need to go on a walk? Okay, he takes them on a walk. Does he need to feed them? Okay, he feeds them. Does he need to make sure their coats are like sheared off? Yeah, okay, he makes sure. For I don't really know why they do that in my I don't know why they do that, but they do that, the sheer thing. Leave a comment. Why do they do that? But the shepherd makes sure that the sheep are taken care of. Why? So the sheep are not left in lack of anything. Now I'm sure if the sheep are spoiled, like I would be if I was a sheep, they would want more. They'd be like, I want massages while I'm getting sheared off. I want to be taken care of. This is not good enough. I think if I were a sheep, I'd want to be on like the hills of Ireland. I'd want to be, or like Scotland. I'd want to be like in the most beautiful place as a sheep, because I'd be a spoiled sheep. Anyways, why do I say all this? Because I got sidetracked, but because it's to remind us, David is saying this to remind us that God's not simply distantly observing us. He's our shepherd. He takes care of us, he anticipates our needs. And if we go back to yesterday's episode, he's not looking at us saying, Man, I really want a husband and ignoring us, or man, I really want a baby and ignoring us, or man, I just really want that new job and God's just doing nothing to move it for me. He's not simply ignoring us because he's not a distant observer. God is our shepherd. He lays us beside green pastures and leads us to still waters. He knows exactly what we need so that we shall not be left wanting. And I know that may sound harder, hard to hear, because you're like Balorne, I do want these things in my life. And trust me, God knows that. But it's to say that God has given you everything you need for this season of your life. So deep down in your soul, you shall not want because God has given you everything you need. God invites us to rely on him rather than our own understanding. That's another big verse. We shall lean on his understanding, not our own understanding. And the good news is that we do not have to carry every burden ourselves, but we can rest in the care of a shepherd who knows exactly what we need and a shepherd who can anticipate every single need. So if you're listening to this and you're like, that's that's really easier said than done, Lauren. Well, one, trust me, I've been there. I know exactly what you're feeling. But two, have faith that God knows exactly what you need when you need it. That new job, God knows exactly when you need that new job. Not just for your sake, but for the job's new sake and the co-workers who work there. When if you're sitting there going, I really, really want a baby, Lauren, God knows exactly what kind of baby you need and when you need that baby. You don't just need a baby, you don't just need a child. God knows exactly what child you need. And it's coming in the right timing. Have faith to understand God anticipates your needs and God wants you to have the desires of your heart. But have the courage to say, Lord, you are my shepherd, you know my wants and you know my needs, therefore I shall not want. And I know that's tough, but have the courage to say that and the faith to know God's going to supply every need and every want. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you so much for being our shepherd. Thank you for supplying our every need and supplying our every want. And Lord, we just pray right now, see the needs and the wants of the people listening to this podcast. More than just seeing the needs, because Lord, you you take care of our needs. Lord, we we pray that you see the desires of our heart. And we have faith to know, Lord, that you have plans to prosper us and not to harm us. But God, we have the courage to put our trust in you and say, we shall not want. You give us everything we need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

So there you have it, your five minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.