The Scattered Flock Returns

​John 10 tells of the good shepherd. His sheep know his voice. It also tells of the stranger, the thief and the wolf. 

The sheep run from the stranger because his voice is strange to them. He is a thief, whose plan is to steal, kill and destroy. He is like a  wolf who attacks and scatters the flock.

It feels good to have a shepherd again. His voice speaks things that are familiar. It speaks peace. The scattered sheep are gathering again. I like it.

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Better Days Ahead

I have been reading in Isaiah for about 4 months. I read it, reread it and then reviewed it several times. The correlation, in several ways, has captivated me.

One of the main messages is God’s appeal to a people that had neglected and disregarded him. “Come let us reason together.” “Present your case” he pleads.

Hezekiah, the king, actually does it. He comes to God to reason with him and pleads his case. It results in one of the coolest demonstrations of God’s intervening that the Bible records.

And what did we just do? I believe a record number of Americans, in light of how out of line our government has been, came to God and reasoned with him. We presented our cases and he was moved, as he was with Hezekiah, to intervene.

As a result of prayer, God went from anger to compassion. He allowed his people and us to simmer in hardship long enough that it got the attention of many. As a result of the turning to him, his anger, which brought on hardship, was turned to compassion and which ushered in a rebuilding.

I cannot help to believe that we, similarly, have just witnessed the same turning. I believe we have better days ahead to look forward to.

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