“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
 
Often, people will exclaim the Lord being their shepherd. The Lord being in relationship to the people under his care. Knowing exactly what they need, when, and the direction that they need to go. On our own it can be difficult to know which direction to take, which opportunity is wise, what is the right step to take.

Shepherds were often close to the sheep that they looked after. They knew their sheep’s fears, which ones were prone to wander, and the dangers that were constantly nearby. Exclaiming the lord as my shepherd is one of close relationship. God knowing our fears, what will entice us to walk away, and the dangers to keep us from developing a close intimate relationship. When we claim that God is our shepherd, we believe that we can trust him with our circumstances no matter the situation. God cares for each one of us. 

When we allow God to shepherd us our deepest needs are met. The psalmist cries out “I shall not want” it is not bad to want possessions such as clothes, cars, or devices. Here the psalmist is stating, the essentials he is not lacking because they can all be found in God. His safety, direction, rest, and provision are found in God. We can turn to God for what we truly need.

Today there are many sources that tell us what we need, the direction we should go, and even how to get there. When we allow God to shepherd us, we no longer strive after certain effects but, learn to be content with what we have. God knows exactly what each one of us needs.
 
Heavenly Father, help us to trust you as our shepherd. When we are worried or stressed help us to place our concerns at your feet for you know exactly what each of us need.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
 
When we see green lights, we go. At track meets when the starting pistol is sounded runners go at the sound. There are moments that we know instantly to go. Those who do not have a green light sit idly until they see a green light and can go. Those in the next heat wait patiently until they are called forward and hear the starting pistol. However, we are all called to “Go”. We are called by Jesus not to sit idly by but to be apart of the great commission.

Before Jesus departed, he told the disciples to go make disciples of all nations. It wasn’t a suggestion but, a command to go be apart of the community and walk alongside people from all nations in their journey of grace. No one must be trained to make disciples just be willing to invest time in explaining scripture, praying, and helping others understand what it means to be a holy people.
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There is no one size fits all to make disciples. It all starts with an invite to know someone a simple hello, invitation to get coffee, and spending time with another person works perfectly. Faith is meant to be done within community. It can feel intimidating to make disciples, but the Holy Spirit is with you guiding you to the people who need a listening ear and want to learn about Jesus. He will give you the words to say even when you are unsure of what to say. Go.
 
Heavenly Father, give us eyes to see people who need to know about your love and grace.
 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)
 
During recess you can always tell the kids that want to play basketball and the kids who are standing there hoping that they will not be picked to play. They are only there to keep the teams even. They are sometimes picked last because they do not know how to shoot a basketball or not very good at the game. Just like these kids who are praying not to be picked Jesus tells us to pray for workers. The harvest is ready. It is ready but there is more harvest than workers.

When we experience short staff at work we usually try and work harder and fill the gap. However, Jesus states, the need is so great that the first course of action we can do is pray. Pray first. Take a pause and “Ask” before trying to work out of our own strength, skills, or even strategy. It might not feel like work or contributing solving the problem, but it is THE work. Go before God in prayer and ask him for the assistance that you need; workers, tools, or even equipment he can open doors and pathways for assistance in the work.

​While praying for more workers we each need to examine our own hearts. Are we praying for workers and hoping at the same time not to be one of them? Or are we open to being one of the workers? As we pray about the work and our own response we can listen to the Holy Spirit as he convicts us and nudges us into answering the call that God has placed on us. God is calling and inviting us to be partners in the work that he is doing.
 
Heavenly Father, the harvest is ready may you open our hearts to the need that you want us to help in.
                 
Walking with you,
Stacy Watkins

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.” (Psalm 34:15)

There is something about not only being seen but heard. People feel seen in multiple ways; by knowing their name, giving them a gift, and smiling and waving at them. When we are seen it is not in a critical way but, in a caring way. The eyes of the Lord on the righteous does not mean that God is watching us in critical way but looking at us in a caring or watchful way.

God knows where you are, how heavy your heart might feel or even what you are facing. Not only does he know your situation but listens to our cries. God is attentive to our honest prayers. The messy prayers that come from pain, exhaustion, and even fears. Our prayers do not have to polished or prefect since God is attentive to our needs and wants us to cry out to him.

Throughout our day we might face times when we feel as we are overlooked, small, or not seen nor heard. There is one who always sees and hears us and wants us to call out to him. Our prayers do not fade away unheard, but each one is listened too and treasured. When life feels unfair and overwhelming remember we can trust God.

We can always trust God and cry out to him during hard times for he wants to hear from us. He desires our honest prayers and close relationship with us. He always sees us and hears us even when we feel alone. We can be confident that we are always seen and heard by him.
 
Heavenly Father, thank you for you always see us when we feel alone. May we continue to trust you each day.
 
Praying for you,
Stacy Watkins