YOU NEED A SHEPHERD

PSALM 28:9 (GW)
Save your people, and bless those who belong to you.
Be their shepherd, and carry them forever.

MATTHEW 9:36 (NLT)
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is the compassionate shepherd.

DAILY FODDER
Imagine yourself a wandering flockless sheep. How does it feel when a shepherd takes you into his flock? How does that change your life?

PRAYER
Good Sheperd, thank you for bringing me into the protective custody of your flock. I confess that I'm prone to wander, unaware of how vulnerable I am. Yet, as clueless as I am, you assume my care. Help me to recognize the value of what you have done and are doing for me. Enable me to stay close, while welcoming the lost into your flock. When I think about it, there is no place I'd rather be. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GOD THE PROVIDER

1 KINGS 19:,5, 8 (NLT)
   Then Elijah lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”
   So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

MATTHEW 6:31 (CEV)
Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God provides what we need to go the next mile.

DAILY FODDER
What are you worrying about today? 

PRAYER
Faithful God, you always provide. Forgive me for worrying. I've seen how you've worked in the past, yet I still get anxious when I can't see how things will come together. Help me to leave all my worries behind and to let go of my anxieties. I know there will be enough because I trust in you the great provider. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GOD IS CLOSE

PSALM 139:5 (NLT)
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

ACTS 17:27-28 (CEB)
In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us. In God we live, move, and exist.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God isn’t far away from any of us.

DAILY FODDER
“Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.”
― Saint Patrick

PRAYER
Ever present Lord God, you are always so near to me. You are not far off. You are the author of all my days, but too often, I forget. Today immerse me in your intimate, loving, and personal presence to transform me. As you are present in me, awaken others to you, into the peaceful life only you can give.  Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

HEALING

PSALM 147:3 (CEB)
God heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.

1 PETER 2:24 (MSG)
His wounds became your healing.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Think of salvation as healing.

DAILY FODDER
What do you currently need to be healed?

PRAYER
Merciful God, you have a habit of intervening to restore the lives of broken people. Christ did this on a grand scale when he was wounded so we might experience restoration. I'm grateful for the healing that is taking place in my life on so many levels. But I'm still broken. And I'm asking you to repair my life so that my scars become a channel for your healing in others. I want to share your healing touch. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.