The Lord Shall Guide You

Isaiah 58:11
And the LORD shall guide thee continually.


"The Lord shall guide thee." Not an angel, but JEHOVAH shall guide thee. He said He would not go through the wilderness before His people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, "If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel's guidance: He Himself leads the van. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah will never forsake you. Notice the word shall-"The Lord shall guide thee." How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us! His precious "shalls" and "wills" are better than men's oaths. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Then observe the adverb continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we follow close at His heels, we shall not err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you have to change your position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for "the Lord shall guide thee continually." There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love. He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. "Jehovah"-mark the word-"Jehovah shall guide thee continually."

Devotional by Charles Spurgeon

He Gathers His Lambs

Jesus the Shepherd

Isaiah 40:11
He shall gather the lambs with His arm.


Our good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but He is impartial in His care for all His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with His arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to perish-He nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; He finds weak minds ready to faint and die-He consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones He gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish. What a quick eye He must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far- reaching and potent arm, to gather them all! In His lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that He dwells in heaven, His loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did He gather me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love, to His church! With what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself! Since my first conversion, how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and once again folded me within the circle of His everlasting arm! The best of all is, that He does it all Himself personally, not delegating the task of love, but condescending Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. How shall I love Him enough or serve Him worthily? I would fain make His name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my feebleness do for Him? Great Shepherd, add to Thy mercies this one other, a heart to love Thee more truly as I ought.

Image courtesy of All Posters

God's Thoughts

Psalm 139:17
How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God.


Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside His mind from us, has us always before His eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits: hence it is a choice delight to remember them. The Lord always did think upon His people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured; He always will think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us-we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows He observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes Him; in our toils He marks all our weariness, and writes in His book all the struggles of His faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for; all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God. Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

Devotional by Charles Spurgeon

Bundle of Myrrh

Song of Solomon 1:13
A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me.


Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is He compared to "a bundle of myrrh"? First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it, He is a casket full. He is not a sprig or flower of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself of Him. Our well-beloved is compared to a "bundle" again, for variety: for there is in Christ not only the one thing needful, but in "Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," everything needful is in Him. Take Jesus in His different characters, and you will see a marvellous variety-Prophet, Priest, King, Husband, Friend, Shepherd. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, second advent; view Him in His virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness-everywhere He is a bundle of preciousness. He is a "bundle of myrrh" for preservation-not loose myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored in a casket. We must value Him as our best treasure; we must prize His words and His ordinances; and we must keep our thoughts of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us. Moreover, Jesus is a "bundle of myrrh" for speciality. The emblem suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of the world, He was set apart for His people; and He gives forth His perfume only to those who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him. Oh! blessed people whom the Lord hath admitted into His secrets, and for whom He sets Himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who are thus made to say, "A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me."

Devotional by Charles Spurgeon

He Carries the Lambs

Isaiah 40:11
He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.


Who is He of whom such gracious words are spoken? He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Why doth He carry the lambs in His bosom? Because He hath a tender heart, and any weakness at once melts His heart. The sighs, the ignorance, the feebleness of the little ones of His flock draw forth His compassion. It is His office, as a faithful High Priest, to consider the weak. Besides, He purchased them with blood, they are His property: He must and will care for that which cost Him so dear. Then He is responsible for each lamb, bound by covenant engagements not to lose one. Moreover, they are all a part of His glory and reward. But how may we understand the expression, "He will carry them"? Sometimes He carries them by not permitting them to endure much trial. Providence deals tenderly with them. Often they are "carried" by being filled with an unusual degree of love, so that they bear up and stand fast. Though their knowledge may not be deep, they have great sweetness in what they do know. Frequently He "carries" them by giving them a very simple faith, which takes the promise just as it stands, and believingly runs with every trouble straight to Jesus. The simplicity of their faith gives them an unusual degree of confidence, which carries them above the world. "He carries the lambs in His bosom." Here is boundless affection. Would He put them in His bosom if He did not love them much? Here is tender nearness: so near are they, that they could not possibly be nearer. Here is hallowed familiarity: there are precious love-passages between Christ and His weak ones. Here is perfect safety: in His bosom who can hurt them? They must hurt the Shepherd first. Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort. Surely we are not sufficiently sensible of the infinite tenderness of Jesus!

Devotional by Charles Spurgeon

"How Great the Bliss to Be a Sheep of Jesus"

How great the bliss to be a sheep of Jesus, And to be guided by His shepherd staff! Earth's greatest honors, how so e'er they please us, Compared to this are vain and empty chaff. Yea, what this world can never give, May through the Shepherd's grace, each needy sheep receive.




Here is a pasture, rich and never failing, Here living waters in abundance flow; None can conceive the grace with them prevailing, Who Jesus' shepherd voice obey and know: He banishes all fear and strife, And leads them gently on to everlasting life.




Who e'er would spend his days in lasting pleasure Must come to Christ and join His flock with speed; Here is a feast prepared, rich beyond measure, The world meanwhile on empty husks must feed. Those souls may share in every good Whose shepherd doth possess the treasuries of God.

Words by Johann Jakob Rambach (1727)
Music by Johann Gottlieb Wagner (1742)

This is a beautiful old Moravian hymn, and Cyber Hymnal does not have it. After much searching, I finally found the tune. Just click on the first black and white notes to the left of Harmony here. Be sure to listen to hear the wonderful sound of the Moravian music.

Johh 10:14 - I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

John 10:27 -
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:11 -
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

images courtesy of All Posters

Our Good Shepherd

This is a wonderful devotional by Charles Spurgeon about how our good shepherd takes care of His lambs.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall gather the lambs with His arm.

Our good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but He is impartial in His care for all His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with His arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to perish-He nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; He finds weak minds ready to faint and die-He consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones He gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish. What a quick eye He must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far- reaching and potent arm, to gather them all! In His lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that He dwells in heaven, His loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did He gather me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love, to His church! With what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself! Since my first conversion, how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and once again folded me within the circle of His everlasting arm! The best of all is, that He does it all Himself personally, not delegating the task of love, but condescending Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. How shall I love Him enough or serve Him worthily? I would fain make His name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my feebleness do for Him? Great Shepherd, add to Thy mercies this one other, a heart to love Thee more truly as I ought.


image courtesy of All Posters

"Jesus Makes My Heart Rejoice"

When my children were growing up, we were members of a Moravian Church. I don't know if you are familiar with that early Protestant Denomination. You can read about the Moravians here. I love the Moravian Seal (Our Lamb Has Conquered, Let Us Follow Him). Their music is beautiful with chorals and bands. And the traditions of Lovefeasts, Easter Sunrise Services and Christmas teas draw many visitors to Old Salem. I will share more about that later. This is the kind of lovefeast held in the church services here. Coffee is served in a mug with a plain, but delicious, Moravian bun. Hymns are sung during the service. The candles are trimmed at Christmas, and the Christmas Eve services are beautiful. I just found this picture here. I used to sing this sweet hymn often with the children I taught in Sunday School.

Jesus Makes My Heart Rejoice



Jesus makes my heart rejoice, I'm his sheep and know His voice;
He's a shepherd, kind and gracious, And His pastures are delicious;
Constant love to me he shows, Yea, my very name He knows.



Trusting His mild staff always, I go in and out in peace;
He will feed me with the treasure Of His grace in richest measure;
When athirst to Him I cry, Living water He'll supply.



Should not I for gladness leap, Led by Jesus as His sheep?
For when these blest days are over To the arms of my dear Saviour
I shall be conveyed to rest, Amen, yea, my lot is blest.

Words: Henrietta Louise von Hayn (1776)
Music: Herrnhut, Herrnhutter Choralbuch (1735)

Listen to the hymn here. We paused longer after the third and fourth phrases.

Images courtesy of All Posters

"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"

This is a beautiful old hymn, and I did not realize it was sung at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. The tune I am familiar with is the second one beside the author's name.

The Lord Is My Shepherd, 23rd Psalm

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His And He is mine forever.


Living Water

Where streams of living water flow, My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And, where the verdant pastures grow, With food celestial feedeth.


Homecoming

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me.

Words: Henry W. Baker (1868)
Music: John B. Dykes (1868)

You can hear the hymn and read the last three verses at Cyber Hymnal.

Pictures courtesy of All Posters