Follow The Leader?

When normal life comes to a standstill is when God deserves my full attention. Problem is though, the cry of sickness, the pain of loss, the fear of the future and even sometimes trying to get through the day becomes all consuming! And the still small voice of the Lord is drowned under a tidal wave of self-pity. Yet he always speaks. To each and every one of us he has a personal message; a word of comfort, hope and perfect love, leading us on the pathway of restoration, with Godly provision for every need. These are times when we need to cease in our struggling, let go of worry and just rest in the presence of God. Yeah, my photo? This clean living animal has no say in his future, and whether it’s destiny is to provide for Sunday lunch or a designer cardigan is totally irrelevant. He feeds well, a shepherd cares and a continual chain of National Trust visitors enjoy his company. A simple life for a simple creature. And he sure knows how to follow the leader! When not resting that’s pretty much my ambition as well.

Why do we make things so complicated? Everything we need for guidance, and every instruction we need for living well can be found in God. Seeking his pleasure yields my greatest reward. And for sure the Bible makes a great handbook, with the Ten Commandments a perfect starting point. Nothing wrong with ‘Do not kill’, ‘Do not steal’, 'Do not commit adultery’ and all the rest surely? But there is so much more to be found in this amazing book, indeed with just a little attention a pattern for the whole of life can be uncovered. And as we align ourselves with God’s way of living we share in his blessing and favour. Much of our legal system has it’s origins in Biblical principles, respecting both God and one another, so over many centuries the UK has been a blessed nation. Increasingly in recent decades though, plainly read Biblical principles are being discarded and replaced with man’s understanding and values. Of course this is a reflection of ‘the will of the people’, and I believe the Lord sets leaders over us that we deserve. But ignoring the revealed will of God will always have consequences.

Isaiah 53:6 ^‘All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own’ (NLT)