The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
In seeing Jesus, you see Me. He is the radiance of My glory and the exact representation of My nature, and He upholds all things by the Word of His power. I created all things through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at My right hand and I highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He shows My goodness, My presence, and My power manifesting My Kingdom in the earth in healings, signs, wonders, and miracles.
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Through Him I reconciled all things to Myself, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
No matter how alienated from and hostile in mind to Me you have been, even though you were engaged in evil deeds, Jesus has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Me holy and blameless and beyond reproach. This is good news! And it is for you.
But not only are your sins gone and you are under an open Heaven where all My promises to you are “YES” in Christ Jesus, you have One who is with you always to serve you and minister to you. And what is His ministry to you? Twofold: your great good Shepherd and your great High Priest. He is present to help you, not to judge you. He has risen to lead, bless, and take care of you in every area of your life, both physically (the good Shepherd) and spiritually.(the great High Priest). I have you completely covered.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
Today let us consider Jesus as your great good Shepherd.
One of My Covenant promise names is “The LORD your Shepherd.”
The first one to call Me his shepherd was Jacob. He was a shepherd and understood what it meant. He spoke of the hard work in being out with the flocks in the heat and in the cold, rescuing the sheep from wild beasts, getting little sleep in watching over them, and keeping them healthy and strong. Genesis 41:36-40. Close to the end of his time on earth, Jacob said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the messenger who has redeemed me from all evil.” Genesis 48:15-16.
Joseph also was a shepherd when he was young, and I called him to be a shepherd to My people in Egypt and lead them all out of famine to a table of plenty. Moses was a shepherd and I called him to lead My flock out of Egypt to the Promised Land. David was a shepherd and I called him to shepherd My people Israel. Peter was a fisherman but I called him to be a shepherd to feed My sheep and guide the first Christian community.
I shared with My prophet Ezekiel that My people were like sheep without a shepherd, wandering and susceptible to harm and exploitation. And I made a promise that I myself would come to shepherd and care for My sheep, to gather than from where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark, to bind up their wounds, to guide them to lovely pastures and hills full of showers of blessings. To rescue them from evil and keep them close to Me. And I promised that I would raise up one like David to be their shepherd forever. Ezekiel 34:11-31. Adonai, Jesus, your great good Shepherd who healed you, blessed you, and laid down His life for the sheep.
Let Jesus tell you about His ministry as your good Shepherd:
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:11-15.
And He makes a promise to those who follow Him as Lord, you will hear His voice and you will be held in His hand:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30.
You are in His hand and My Will prospers in His hand. Isaiah 53:10. And in His hands I work healing, blessing, provision, deliverance, and salvation.
While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Luke 4:40.
Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After laying His hands on them, He departed from there. Matthew 19:13-15.
Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. Matthew 14:19-20.
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:23-24.
And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. Matthew 14:29-30.
And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. Luke 8:53-55.
You have no reason to fear. I have given you My Son and in Him I have given you the great good Shepherd who will lead you from anxiety to peace, from illness to perfect health, from lack to provision so that there is nothing you shall want. He delivers you from all danger and leads you out of dark valleys of the shadow of death into My own marvelous light. He is the Light of the world. No follower of His will ever walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
And what does your good Shepherd say to you? His invitation fulfills the promises of Psalm 23:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Are you feeling burdened and heavily ladened? Have you lost your peace and have no rest in the true sense? Have you lost heart? Have you lost your joy? Your good Shepherd understands for He too knew long days and long nights. He too was rejected and mocked. He too was tested in every way you are but never sinned. He too knew tears and darkness, but He kept looking at Me and saw the joy that lay before Him and for that, for the love of you and Me, he went all the way to the Cross, the dust of death, hell, and was raised up to Heaven as the first born-again man and opened the way for all who follow Him as their great good Shepherd right into eternal life.
You have a Shepherd who knows well the sheep for He is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world and I am His Shepherd. In His hand you are in Mine.
This secret is in Ezekiel’s prophecy. See if you can see it.
For thus says the Lord (Adonai) LORD (Yahavah), “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My [n]sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord (Adonai) LORD (Yahavah),“I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick. Ezekiel 35:11-16.
When you see the word “LORD” translated in all capital letters it is My Hebrew Memorial Covenant Name (יהוה) which is Yahavah, that I spoke to Moses. It is I AM, I was, and I am to come, three tenses of the verb “to be” shorted into four letters. When you see “Lord” in small letters, then the word is “Adonai (אֲדֹנָ֣י),” which refers to God and man in the term “Lord.” Sarah called Abraham “Adonai” show her respect and David would also be called “Adonai” at times, meaning, “my lord,” being as he was king. Jesus is God and man so it applies to Him as the Lord of lords, and King of kings.
Jesus showed that “Adonai” referred to Him when He quoted David in Psalm 110 saying, “The LORD (יהוה) said to my Lord (אֲדֹנָ֣י), sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet.”
Together we work as your Shepherd. He is the arm I reach down to save you, bless you and lift you up to Me.
The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see the Salvation (Yeshuah) of our God. Isaiah 52:10.
And the prophecy of Isaiah of My Son being pierced, beaten, and dying like a Lamb led to the slaughter begins:
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? Isaiah 53:1.
And He is still with you always as your great good Shepherd to lead you to green pastures of peace and plenty and to the living waters of the Spirit as He restores your weary soul (your soul consists of your mind, will, and emotions). He guides you in right paths by the Holy Spirit He poured down from My throne on all believers on the day Pentecost was fulfilled. Acts 2:33. And He is with you to bring your through dark valleys of the shadow of death to a table of plenty in the sight of your enemies. He anoints your head with the oil of joy and fills your cup to overflowing with My goodness so that only goodness and lovingkindness pursue and overwhelm you all that days of your life. And He opens the way so that you may abide in My house now and forever. Psalm 23:1-6. The Son has a place in the house forever, and in Him you have a place as My beloved child and joint heir as well. He promised to come back from the dead and take you with Him so that where He is you may be as well. And I kept that promise. When I raise Him, I raised you in spirit as well and you are seated there with Him even now.
You are all My little flock in Jesus and it has pleased Me to give you the Kingdom. And that is the reason there is nothing you shall want, lack, or need now and forever. It is all abundantly supplied beyond all you can ask or imagine. So keep asking, seeking, and knocking, your good Shepherd is there to supply all your needs and give you an abundance for every good work.There is more there than you can ever use up forever.
Jesus calls you each by name and leads you out of your destructions to lead you into your promised land, back to Eden is where He is leading you to the tree of life. Receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness and you will reign in life through your great good Shepherd Christ Jesus.
Every moment of your life your good Shepherd is with you. All you really have to do to have a wonderful life is follow Him. Get to know His voice.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20.
My Son warned you that due to the increase in evil as the day of His return approaches, the love of many will grow cold and it will be hard to find faith on the earth. Faith works by love. When your love grows cold, faith is not bold and retreats instead of keeping firm hold. To have fully persuaded faith in My good promises that won’t quit, you must know and believe in My love for you or you will not be sure that I will lavish My grace and goodness on you. And where do you find that love that surpasses understanding? In the heart of your great good Shepherd Jesus as He heals the broken hearted and gives you eternal life. For eternal life is to know Me the One true God and the One sent, Jesus Christ your Lord. In My presence there is fullness of joy.
I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
I love you. Faith, hope, and love, these three are FOREVER, and the greatest of these is love. And I think you know why. I AM love. And so are you. Fan it into flame and do not lose heart. I will satisfy your heart, for I am your Shepherd and there is nothing you shall want. I have given you My joy and My peace in Jesus. Draw on them now.
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21.