Jesus: Restorer of Hope

Portrait of a Good Shepherd

Your Shepherd knows that you were not made for this place. He knows you are not equipped for this place. So he has come to guide you out. He has come to restore your soul. He is the perfect one to do so.

He has the right vision… He also has the right direction… But most of all, he is the right person, for he is our God. Who knows the jungle better than the One who made it? And who knows the pitfalls of the path better than the One who has walked it? ...So rather than give us an answer, Jesus gives us a far greater gift. He gives us himself.

Does he remove the jungle? No, the vegetation is still thick.

Does he purge the predators? No, the danger still lurks.

Jesus doesn’t give us hope by changing the jungle; he restores our hope by giving us himself. And he promised to stay until the very end. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We need that reminder. We all need that reminder. For all of us need hope.

And though you don’t need your hope restored today, you may tomorrow. And you need to know to whom to turn. Or perhaps you do need hope today. You know you were not made for this place. You know you are not equipped. You want someone to lead you out.

If so, call out for your Shepherd. He knows your voice. And he’s just waiting for your request.

[From Travelling Light by Max Lucado]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.