The Good Shepherd

This morning during prayer I was interrupted. I was told to be quiet and listen. This happens infrequently, so I had to work at being still.

It was not my wife, or the kids, or even the dog. It was not the telephone. I was told to write. I was given words to write, and the courage to write them. I believe this will be for someone, and will help them through the present times of trial. It has certainly helped me.

When Jesus called His disciples they were a young group each having a particular role in life that was suddenly changed for them. There was something in them that Jesus wanted to use, and He does not make mistakes. Each of the Disciples was personally trained by God over time. He taught them, and they were confused so He opened their understanding. They eventually came to the place where they received the Holt Ghost, and suddenly things made sense to them. The New Testament was written by them when they were much older and much wiser and much more experienced. What they wrote about happened to them many years before they wrote.

Jesus looked at these men on the other side of the blood. He saw the future in them; He invested in them the future of the church. After the Holy Ghost fell, they became the leadership of the church in the whole world. The largest, the smallest, the Jewish and the Gentile churches. It is still the same today.

These men had particular styles and talents and skills and wisdom, but none of that was what caused God to appoint them to the leadership of His flock. They all developed these things more through the years, true enough, but initially it was something in their character. They all understood the necessity for the day to day dependence on God to help them and those they led. They understood the burden of Jesus for the lost. They were political, stubborn, willful humans with all the same problems we face today. But they learned through the Holy Ghost to listen for God’s will to do the things they must.

When the prophet prayed for rain, he had to return to do so seven times before God answered his prayer. It was not that God did not hear the first prayer, but that Elijah had to pray until the prayer was right. That is, he prayed until his will was finally the same as God’s will. I believe that Elijah did not really want the rain, because he was the one who prayed that it would stop. He wanted to punish some more, He was not satisfied that the enemy had suffered enough. But he kept praying until God changed his tune. Then the clouds formed and the rains came.

There are certain things that a Pastor must have. Like the Disciples, these must be present. It is not great wisdom; it is not the skills of a silver tongued orator. It is not a cyclopedic knowledge, or the diplomatic skill of a statesman. It is character, a burden, and the practice of seeking God’s will everyday for everything. All of these other things are great, and come with time to all good Pastors, but they are icing on the cake, so to speak.

I have had over the last 36 years, the privilege of being shepherded by great men of God. They were not supermen, a number of them were men of simple background and means. But they had the ingredients that were essential to greatness. They had character, morals, attitude, and a great burden for the soul. They were willing to hurt my feelings to preserve my spirit. They were willing to sacrifice a great deal to obtain the freedom of one more soul. They taught consistently and without fear or favor. What I have become is their fault. Most have passed on, and those did not see me at this point in my life. They only prayed and taught and struggled for a future they knew was important. They were Great men of God. When I was a stubborn loudmouthed nuisance, they asked me to help make peanut brittle. When I was brand new in the Holy Ghost they put me on a door to door witnessing team. When I hurt, they prayed for me. My poor life did not daunt them in their task. They saw me on the other side of the blood.

There is a passage of scripture where the church is admonished to avoid certain things. The Bible called it “itching ears”. Let me explain something: itching ears is a trait all humans will fall prey to without constant vigilance and prayer. It is the Christmas list of “what I want most”. Self-indulgence in building the comfortable environment for me to live in is what this refers to. There is a tendency in people to build a list if things you would like to have different “next time”. If you had your way, you would “fix this” so it would be more to your liking. When people heap to themselves teachers “having itching ears”, meaning their ears not the teachers, they are out of the will of God. They have arranged the future by bringing together those things that they want. We always want what we want, that is our nature. What the Apostle was warning of was caving in to the desire to arrange your circumstances to your liking, rather than following the plan of God.

When praying, realize that you must pray for your will to become God’s will. You cannot be responsible to pick and chose what you need on your own, because you do not know what you need. God has a plan. You need to pray until you understand and can accept what that plan is.

God will not leave you to fall apart and He will help you if you will obey this one simple thing. Pray seven times if you have to; fast a much as is needed, but remain humble before God until you have His will. If you fail to do this one thing, you will prevent God’s will. God does not rule the kingdom with an iron fist. You can willfully decide against God’s will and prevent Him from providing what you need. This is why it is important to pray until you understand God’s will. Making decisions based on human wisdom can curtail or completely prevent God.

Do not set parameters for God to operate within. He is perfectly able to bring about what is needed if you allow Him.

I have been a professor for over twenty years. I know how to make the learning process work, and a number of degrees that provide me with skills and knowledge. I have a resume “longer than your arm”. All of these things matter when I am trying to obtain a job as a professor. All of these things are unimportant for the work in the kingdom of God. God qualifies those whom He calls. Wisdom that comes from God is hugely more important than carnal wisdom. Following His leading makes a Pastor sound like the Good Shepherd.

A man with a burden for your soul, who loves you, is a million times more important than a good entertainer or the most organized and proficient business manager. If he cannot sing or play an instrument or is not handsome, that is no disadvantage. If he can pray and touch God, if he will “trim you down” when you need it, if he will preach without fear or favor, then that is the one who sounds like the Good Shepherd.