A Sheep’s-Eye View of the Shepherd: Day Four
Day 4: Love That Runs You Down
Devotional
Most of us picture grace as something we have to find. We imagine that if we pray more, try harder, or finally get our lives in order, we will somehow catch up to God’s blessing. But Psalm 23 flips that picture completely upside down. David says that goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life. But the word translated "follow" in the original Hebrew is not a gentle, trailing word. It is the same word used to describe an army in hot pursuit. What is chasing David is not danger. It is the relentless, covenant-keeping love of God. You do not have to be fast enough, smart enough, or good enough to find God’s love. His love is already running after you. That is not a small idea. That is the heartbeat of the gospel. Jesus made this even clearer when He left heaven, took on flesh, and pursued us all the way to the cross. He did not wait for us to get our act together. He came after us while we were still wandering. Every other shepherd would protect himself at the expense of his sheep. Jesus did the opposite. He laid down His life so that His sheep could live. If you have been exhausted from trying to earn your way to God, you can stop running. His goodness is not something you chase. It is something that has been chasing you all along.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless
before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen. - Jude 24-25
Reflection Question
In what ways have you been striving to earn God’s love or approval, and what would it look like to actually rest in the truth that His love is already pursuing you?
"It’s not danger that’s chasing you;
it’s the goodness and covenant-keeping love of God that’s running you down."
- Pastor Mike Mura
Prayer Father, thank You that Your love is not waiting for me to catch up to it. Help me to stop striving and start resting in the grace that has been chasing me all along. Amen.