When We’re Feeling Lost, Our Good Shepherd Leads Us

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1

Troubled. Lost. Unsure of what to do next.

In the darkness, I fumbled for my phone. The numbers read 3:00. A few seconds later, the cuckoo clock in the den chimed three times, a confirmation that my eyes had not deceived me. I squirmed and readjusted the blankets but never felt comfortable enough to drift back to sleep.

In those hours before dawn, doubts and fears prowled in the shadows.

I was in the process of making a career change, leaving familiar pastures, and moving on. But this change led me into unexplored territory, with no mile markers to let me know if I was close to arriving.  Like a kid in the backseat of a car, I kept asking, “Are we there yet? How long before we arrive?”

 In fact, the kid in me had several questions for God. Am I going in the right direction? Am I foolish to give up a stable job? (I mean, look at the economy!) Will I be lonely? Will I wander around without purpose?

While I mulled over these questions, fear attacked. So I silently recited a scripture I’d committed to memory.  I first memorized the twenty-third psalm years ago as I taught it to my kindergarten students, and in the middle of the restless night, I repeated the words to myself.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.”

My doubting heart wondered whether I’d just as soon count sheep. How could I be sure the Lord would meet my needs?

But even as that question crossed my mind, I already knew the answer. I could trust the Lord because He’s never failed me. Not once. As I quietly recited the verses to myself, I remembered the many ways God has been a Good Shepherd to me.

I reminded myself of the time when my expenses greatly surpassed my income, and bills piled up as my bank account dwindled. But God surprised me and provided for me in ways I never could have imagined.

Psalm 23 reassures us God will provide for our needs so we will not lack the essentials.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

I thought about the time I was critically ill. My immune system was weak, my blood pressure was dangerously low, and my anxiety levels were off the charts. But even then, God brought peace and healing.

When we feel anxious, God calms us down and restores our weary, troubled souls.

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Yet even as I recited the verses, I still felt lost. I wanted the whole map showing which route I’d take and where I’d end up. But God likes to give directions one step at a time, doesn’t He?

So when we don’t know the next step, we can ask, and our Shepherd will show us the way.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

I shouldn’t fear death, but I’ve attended more than a few funerals lately. So I know, if Jesus doesn’t return first, whether or not I stop for death, as Emily Dickinson says, death will “kindly stop for me.”

But this I know: even when we face scary, life-and-death situations, we don’t face them alone. God is with us, protecting and delivering us safely through the valleys.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The rhythm of these words resounded in my brain, reassuring me of truth.

Though I haven’t yet lived “all the days of my life,” I look to people in my parents’ generation, the ones who are ahead of me in life’s journey.  One precious lady, who is now in her 80s, has been a mentor and an example. Every time I talk to her, she confidently states, “God is good.”

When the future is uncertain, rather than expecting the worst, we can trust in God’s goodness.

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11 ESV) 

The Bible is our roadmap of righteous paths, and the Holy Spirit shows us how to read it and how to discern the way to go. Furthermore, God has given us a brain, and he wants us to use it. He instructs us to seek out good advice from godly counselors, too. And even if we miss the signs, misinterpret God’s directions, and make wrong choices, our Good Shepherd can restore and redirect us.

In uncertain times, we can rely on our Good Shepherd who knows each of us by name and knows what we need.

When we’re feeling lost, God is our Shepherd.

Father, I know I’m not lost and helpless as long as I have you, my Good Shepherd, to guide me. Help me to be unafraid as I follow where you lead. You provide for all my needs. You give me peace as you refresh and restore my soul. Thank you for the glorious, abundant life you offer to all who trust you.