My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray
and turned them loose in the mountains.
They have lost their way
and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
Jer. 50:6
Christians who wander away, or led away away, is a frequent issue with the Lord. It’s hard to watch someone you love go in a way that brings them pain and destruction. It hurts doubly when they get turned in the wrong direction. Jeremiah suggests that there is a personal disobedience as well as a pastoral influence from a shepherd.
Influence from confused shepherds runs rampant through the flock of the Church. Voices speak and men posture themselves to lure the sheep. Programs are always percolating and brought out at an opportune time to develop and maintain a momentum and to give the sense of direction and purpose. This sounds confusing but its not.
The prophet sees and perceives. There is grief and pain in his words. He witnesses of a coming judgement. In our time, the necessity of being ‘pastored‘ has been a less of an issue because of the Holy Spirit’s contact with the believer. We have the Spirit and His presence. Now we can turn towards a superintending understanding of the functioning of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t need our pathetic attempts at pointing out our crudeness and foolishness at the situation.
Jesus Christ loves us, and comes at us through the self-generated issues that could move us to a less then a desirable condition. But our “pastor” is Jesus, He pastors us through our confusion and sin. His heart is looking to us. We are to come to Him, not through a man, but through the presence of God, that envelopes us and adjusts our understanding.
We cannot pretend anymore that our issues of redemption and healing can be understood through anyone else but through the direction of our Lord except Jesus. We do not think that our intervention of a pastor, or healer will bring us any closer. We connect through Jesus. He has made himself the only connection of God and myself.
We dare not trust ourselves when it comes at us through so much. He heals and strengthens through His active and present awareness of us. We must turn from ‘deceptive noise’ and grab ahold of the promises of an authoritative voice. He rules over us with authority, and a loving voice of guidance. He comes to us in a very real and definite way. For He is “one on one” to us in a real recognition to us in our personal connection to the Father.
This needs to become our way that we connect. We rest in His plan. Nothing else will placate. Jesus advances Himself to becoming our Lord and Saviour. We turn to Him to save us, and no one else.
Broken Believers 