DON'T IGNORE YOUR SHEPHERD

I'm writing for Five Minute Friday and this week's prompt is IGNORE. 

How easy would it have been to ignore Jesus when He was walking the earth?  

I imagine that it wouldn't have been, because He was a deeply powerful person.   I often wish I could have been there, in those stories, not just watching Him, but being touched by Him, being the one that He interacted with, the one that made it into the gospel encounters.  

And yet, I have made it into His book of stories, the stories that haven't been written in the gospels, the ones that John said there wasn't room to write about, the ongoing stories of people whose lives Jesus still touches, stories like mine.  

https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/gnpi-018-samaritan-woman/

He is still the same Jesus, still working, still a deeply powerful person touching lives and healing.   He finished the work on the cross so that the story goes on.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  Luke 4:18-19

And He gave us His Holy Spirit, so that we could sit with Him, learn from Him, be taught by Him, learn to hear Him and be led by Him, like Mary did.   

The Holy Spirit is just as real to us today as Jesus was then.  

He is our Counsellor, our Comforter, our Teacher, the One that Jesus said would remind us of everything He taught us.   By His Holy  Spirit, Jesus is still leading and teaching and guiding and healing.   By His Holy  Spirit, He intercedes for us and teaches us to pray.   By His Holy Spirit, we are connected to the Father and the Son.  

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.     But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."   John 14:25,26

But, are we listening, or are we ignoring Him, because His voice is so quiet amid the constant noise of our lives?    Have we been told that hearing the Holy Spirit, hearing God is 'dangerous' or 'too subjective'?   Do we settle instead for church policy or doctrine, our pastor's opinions, the world's opinions, our family's view on things?  Are we immersed in God's Word and His words to us, hungry for Him and His words, or are we ignoring those for something more 'tangible' and more easily found.  

So many times in the Old Testament, we hear God reaching out to His people, His people who've ignored Him, and looked elsewhere for guidance, for help, for blessing, for shepherding, only to end up captive to something or someone, like the lost sheep.

“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you!

O Israel, if you will listen to Me!

There shall be no foreign god among you;

Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt;

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

“But My people would not heed My voice,

And Israel would have none of Me.

So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,

To walk in their own counsels.

“Oh, that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways!   Ps 81:8-13

God doesn't call us into relationship because He's an egotist, but because HE knows how desperately we need Him - every single minute of every single day.  Like the sheep of Psalm 23, we have daily need of His voice and loving guidance and restoration and blessing.  

And Jesus promised that His sheep would know His voice. 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  John 10:27

But, so often in life, we ignore Him because we're busy like Martha - serving Him, loving Him, working hard for Him or trying to win His approval.    

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.    Luke 10:42

But He's already done all that's needed.   We just need to come and sit, do that greater thing and of that abiding and listening and leaning in.  We can function and work with Him to do what HE wants. 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matt 11:28-30 MSG

Or perhaps we ignore Him because we're just too busy with our own agenda, and idols, and concerns.    Perhaps we're really like the prodigal son, wanting to do go our own way, away from the Father, away from the constraints of relationship with Him, and just be self-made, 'grown up', clever people.  

But God knows the perils, He knows what happens when we ignore His Word, His leading, His correction, His light.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding,

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.  Ps 32:8,9

John Bevere has some good things to say about hearing God's voice.    Because if we want to not ignore the Lord, we need to hear Him.   And the Word is full of promises that He speaks to His children and they will be able to hear Him and follow His lead.  

We ignore His voice at our peril, even if our lives look okay.   It only takes the captain of a ship to go off course just a few degrees for that ship to end up in a dangerous place, though it's not immediately obvious.   

I've lived that scenario, of ignoring God's quiet warnings and still, small voice because I was busy being a Martha, or just busy being the prodigal, or listening to someone other than Him.  No more.    Maybe it takes getting to mid life to realise you ignore Him at your peril, and those in your ship also suffer.     Sometimes, the storms in our lives are of our own making, because we have ignored His voice.  And He leans in and sustains us anyway, and rescues us anyway, eventually. 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dd/72/40/dd7240f1e41e26801947a429d38a547e.jpg

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.

Today, if you will hear His voice:

“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.............. Ps 95:6-8

You rescued me and picked me up

A living hope of grace revealed

A life transformed in righteousness

O Lord You have rescued me

Forgiving me, You healed my heart

And set me free from sin and death

You brought me life You've made me whole

O Lord You have rescued me

And You loved me before I knew You

And You knew me for all time

I've been created in Your image O Lord