Blank Spacer
A journey through Lent - 2016
Blank Spacer
Day Twenty Five - The Good Shepherd.
This image of our fellowship as a flock of sheep is familiar to us from many stories in the Bible.
In this passage, Ezekiel reveals to us that we have a shepherd in Jesus who will save us and care for us, bringing us to a place of lasting peace.
It is Jesus who is ready to lay down his life for us so that we might have peace with God and one another.
We are, of course, wilful like sheep and so suffer times of disappointment and suffering. So much so that we can sometimes lose hope and become cynical. Fearing that God will not bring us to his side.
It is then that we must reflect on Jesus as our good shepherd. We remember his promise that because of his life, death and resurrection, we will one day be with him for eternity.
Bible Passage: - Ezekiel 34:23-31 (NIV)
I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
'"I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.
The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.
They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.
Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord."'
Contemplation Saying.
"Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them"
Contemplative Prayer.
Think of the saying in order to understand context and meaning,
Feel the meaning of the saying with and in your heart,
Pray, using the saying, for yourself or others. With only a name and without explaining the reasons or pre-defining any answers.
Listen for God's voice in the quiet of your prayers.
Pray using your own prayers or one of those which have been prepared below.
Hymn: Singing the Faith - "The Lord's my Shepherd I'll not want"
Let us pray together.
Twitter Prayer
We thank you died for us so that we might know your peace.
Facebook Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are our loving shepherd.
That no matter where we may wander in our lives you bring us back to your side.
We thank you died for us so that we might know your peace and love.
Help us to find ways to restore peace in our relationships and be prepared to lay down our desires and our lives for others. Amen
Full Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are our loving shepherd.
That no matter where we find ourselves you are always looking out for us. Bringing us back to your side when we wander.
We thank you died for us so that we might know your peace.
During this season of Lent, help us to find ways to find peace in our relationships and be prepared to lay down our desires and our lives for others.
We pray in the power of your name. Amen.
Lord, we pray that we may not fall into fear, anxiety, self-pity, or hardheartedness.
May we hear your voice as our shepherd calling your sheep back to your fold where we are restored to peace.
We pray that we may be inspired to find the time and space to listen for your voice. Even in the busy, noisy chaos of our lives.
Your quiet voice calling us back to your side.
We desperately need to hear your voice in the darkness of the night which surrounds us.
We need to know your protection from the dangers and temptations of the world around us.
Help us to realise that we need everything you freely offer to us.
Help us to accept your gift and the responsibilities that come with it.
That we too may be a source of love, care and concern in your world.
Grant us the power of your Holy Spirit in our lives, every day. Amen.