The Good Personal Shepherd

I have spent the last few days driving around town, familiarising (Aussie spelling!) myself with the local roads.  It's been great to visit with people from the congregation, share great food, and have the freedom to travel without requesting a lift!  The car shown is a Lancer the church has provided for my transport and has been a blessing.

A huge key to my successful navigation of Sydney roads is me not having to navigate them alone!  The Tookes have been kind to loan me their G.P.S. and what a great help it has been.  It prompts me in advance for turns, warns me of the abundant red-light and speed cameras, and monitors my speed.  The function I like most of all is when I make a wrong turn or have to detour because of road work it automatically adjusts the route to my destination.  It is also encouraging there are multitudes of ways to arrive at any destination.  The question is:  how long do I want it to take?

One aspect of the TomTom I appreciate is it does not become frustrated with long lights, traffic, my choice of music, or operating error.  Without a shred of anger at my wrong turns it immediately reconfigures my path to the right way.  It never says, "You are an idiot.  Turn around, fool!"  The G.P.S. does not turn off if I make more than one wrong turn as punishment for my poor decisions behind the wheel.  It does not overwhelm me with criticism about being in the wrong lane or mock my confusion.  It is almost as if the TomTom really wants to say with a smile, "You have reached your destination."

This reminds me of the gentle way God leads us through this life.  He has a purpose and a design for every person's life in bringing Him glory.  Like Pilgrim in Bunyan's allegory, though there is a clear path laid before us we can be tempted to turn any which way.  We can lose our sense of direction when we walk contrary to God's Word, forsake the Good Shepherd, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  All of us have been that dying, pathetic, helpless, bleating sheep caught in thorns on a precipice.  Without the intervention of the Good Shepherd, our souls would be lost for eternity.  Jesus does not drive the sheep but chooses instead to lead them.  God has given us the choice as human beings to follow Him or not.  Praise God that when we wander from His care, protection, and guidance, He will come after us.  The Good Shepherd will leave the 99 in safety to find that single lost sheep.  When Jesus recovers the sheep He does not dole out violence in anger, but rejoices and celebrates that what was lost has been found.  The horrible experience of separation from Him disciplines us to follow Him closer and more faithfully in the future.

A fitting end to this post is the third and fourth verses of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" by Robert Robinson written back in 1757.  The truth of these words has not changed over that time.  Let us never forget to thank God for His great faithfulness unto us!

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.