Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
April 24, 2023
This Week's Anchor
“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries,
and I will bring them into their own land’.”
Ezekiel 34: 11-13a (NIV)
“Not all those who wander are lost” (J.R.R. Tolkien). It’s a quote that I hold near and dear to me and often share as a reminder of the great meaning that unplanned life seasons can bring. In last week’s devotion, we discussed trusting God’s process, and I imagine that many of us can attest to the experience that our life journeys, though Divinely guided, come with seasons of feeling incredibly lost. Many of us crave well-organized plans. We live for structure, our vision boards, and our five-year goals. But sometimes we are called to journeys that don’t make sense. The path, though narrow, isn’t always straight. And for those moments when our lives seem to go off script, we can be left wandering through uncharted territory.
Nevertheless, our anchor scripture this week calls our attention to God’s response to the wandering and lost. In our wandering seasons, God makes the following promises:
“I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” (v. 11)—He will search for us when we wander so that we can be found. We may feel lost and lose touch with God, but God never loses us. Let me say that again, God…never…loses…us. God always knows exactly where we are, and if we step off our predestined path, we can trust that He will shift things in our lives to bring us back to where we need to be. If that isn’t worth shouting for, I don’t know what is.
"I will rescue them from all the places they were scattered.” (v. 12)—He will do whatever it takes to find and save us. Sometimes the places where we are scattered reside in our own minds. In the sentiments of Bob Marley, it can be our own minds that enslave us (and thankfully that same mind that can liberate us through God’s renewal). In this way, there are times when God saves us from ourselves—from our own negative outlook on our lives, from our critical self-talk, and from the generational trauma that we carry.
“I will bring them into their own land.” (v. 13)—He will bring us Home. And as we discussed a few weeks ago, God’s Home, while we are on Earth, is where the heart is. It’s the place within us where the Spirit resides. A place of calm, grounding, healing, and restoration. No matter what extent that we wander, Home is never too far away to return.
Not only are we never truly lost due to God’s provision, protection, and willingness to find us in scattered places, but our wandering can have purpose. Although our scattered seasons are often not a part of our plans, they are usually a part of God’s plans, or at least used to further God’s purpose for us. Our uncertainty about our direction does not translate to God’s lack of guidance or involvement in our lives. While we are wandering, God is often behind the curtains of our world orchestrating every scene. Admittedly, wandering can bring great meaning to our lives. Sometimes we wander into new opportunities, we stumble into important spaces and places, and we drift into meaningful relationships—all while learning more about ourselves and evolving deeper in relationship with the Holy Trinity. There is much to gain in our unexpected seasons. The question is, are we willing to accept and receive what those seasons have to offer us? Or…will the distress around our lives not unfolding in the unrealistically linear path we planned get in the way?
When we find ourselves wandering and scattered about our lives, we can rest assured that God will meet us in that unsettled space and bring us Home. Aren’t you grateful that God never stops searching and calling us back in? In moments when we feel lost this week, may we remember that the Good Shepherd will guide us through every season of wandering.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What are seasons of wandering like for you? How do you navigate feeling lost? What do you need most from the Holy Trinity in those seasons?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Isaiah 41: 10
Jeremiah 29: 11
Luke 19: 10
Romans 8: 38-39
1 Corinthians 9:22
2 Corinthians 12: 10
1 Peter 5: 7
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
Maya Angelou
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