The Good Shepherd

"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Revelation 7:16-17



(the Lamb at the center of the throne)

"The I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders."

Revelation 5:6a



I'm reading through Revelation right now (if you weren't picking that up) and it's rocking my world!

To be honest those "springs of living water" are sounding very nice right now. Erica (wife) and I are now both jobless. I lost my job in July and in response to God's consistent prodings Erica quit her job two weeks ago tommorow. Unfortunately, or at least uncomfortably for us, the prodings came in as a "don't stay here anymore" rather than a "go specifically to this place." Neither of us have any real leads on where to go next for work. And honestly the prospect of paying all the same bills with no income starts to feel a little overwhelming. The "sun" and "scorching heat" feel to be "beating upon" us in this season.

Honestly even the "hunger" and "thirst" from this passage speak to my heart too. He's teaching me to be hungry, to need Him. I see moments where I'm really hungering after Him and seeking Him but then, between those moments, I get distracted by every other thing I can fill my stomach with, spoiling my appetite. I want to want more of Jesus, I know I need more of Him. So I've been asking for a hunger for Him in my life. And He's been turning that up!

So, this passage from Revelation really spoke to me. The promise that our shepherd will lead us into a place where we don't hunger or thirst for anything, we'll have all of Him to fill all of our needs! And where the sun and the things of this life will pass away and not beat down on us anymore.
I'm also celebrating the blessing that it is to share in His suffering for now. I found it really interesting that "the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd." The dependency we're commanded to have on Christ as we lean on Him in our suffering is the dependency He had as He leaned on the Father's grace in His suffering. And through depending on Him in our suffering, we get to know His heart and His voice more closely. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father- and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14-15
~also~
"When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do now recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:4-5

So, we still don't have any answers or leads for jobs, but we'll keep seeking God's voice in the trial.