Fall 1983
As a Shepherd Leads
Bernice Cunningham
Pinecrest Faculty

Oh, the blessedness of being led of the Lord. Just to trust in and confidently rely upon our Lord to direct us into His paths, knowing that as He leads us from one experience to another, we are continually progressing into that which He has foreordained that we should be conformed to.

In Isaiah 40:11 we are told that Christ will lead His flock like a shepherd. How does a shepherd lead his flock? Does he consult with them each day, discussing at length where they would like to go that day? No, indeed. There is a great gap between the mentality of the shepherd and that of the sheep. The shepherd’s thought realm is so much higher than that of the sheep; the sheep could not add one single good suggestion to them. Isaiah 55:8, 9 reads: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” There is a great, great gap between the thoughts of man and the thoughts of God. That heavenly realm is so much higher than ours that we are not equipped to think on the level of God. Yet presumptuous man in his pride and arrogance still cries out to God, “Where are you taking me? Let me have something to say about all this!” As we come into a soberness about God, a place where understanding breaks though, we discover that while we were crying out to Him for divine guidance and for His direction in our lives, we have been led by Him. The good Shepherd has laid His life down for us and has been leading us all the time. He is faithful who hath promised. He has promised to lead us in green pastures, by still waters, into the wilderness, in paths of righteousness, in a plain path, through the deep waters as though it were a highway, and in the way of life everlasting. One time, in a particular situation, I was crying out to God, “How did I get into this place?” when the Lord gave me a vision. I saw myself standing out in the wilderness blindfolded. Then His hand reached out and removed the blindfold. When horses are harnessed to pull a carriage, blinders are put on them to keep them from seeing anywhere except straight ahead. There are times when God must put blinders on us to get us to go where He has purposed to lead us. Still He leads us. And upon arriving at some particular destination in our journey with God, we discover and rejoice that His will for us is very good, very acceptable, that it is even perfect.

Before the clay of our vessel was ever scooped up from the pit, our Lord had something in mind that He would mold out of that clay; a planned destination, an intended end. In the same way that we would have a certain sweater in mind that we would make, even before we buy the yarn, so our Lord had something in mind that He would make before He ever set things in motion to bring us into His purposes. As we gather the ingredients together to make a cake, we know just what kind of cake we will make and we also know that we are well able to make the cake we have in mind. Even as a builder has a house plan and a blueprint for that house and can build that house and make it to be all that he has imagined and planned it to be, so God is able to make of us the vessel of His choosing. “Faithful is He that hath called you, who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deut. 7:9).

Once the clay is on the potter’s wheel and the master potter has begun shaping and forming the vessel, others all around us can see what is being formed, but the clay cannot see what is happening. The clay only feels what is happening. The problem arises when we begin to say to the potter, “What doest thou?” He is fashioning us into vessels of honor to contain the glory of God; into precious stones to reflect the glory of God; into lively stones that we might be builded together a spiritual house, a habitation of God in the earth. In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites devised a plan to deceive Joshua, but were found out. The Gibeonites, realizing they were found out and that they deserved to die, cast themselves on Joshua’s mercy. In total surrender (verse 25) they say to Joshua: “And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.” There is such blessed release and joy when we totally surrender ourselves into our Lord’s hands and our whole desire is that He do unto us as seemeth fit unto Him. Then the clamor of the flesh begins to subside, we move into the rest of the Lord, which is the normal place for the believer to live, and the resultant work is a thing of beauty for all to behold. God is revealed as a God who is able: able to keep all that which we commit to Him; able to take a lump of clay, even one that has been defiled, and make a thing of beauty of it; able, by His power alone, to finish that which He begins.

With our much ado about hearing form God, wanting divine guidance, needing direction from God, etc., we sometimes give the impression, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that God is difficult to be found or that there is some problem connected with getting Him to speak to us. We profane the Name of God by making Him appear to be different than He is. Jeremiah 29:13, 14 reads” “and ye shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart, And I will be found of you, saith the Lord.” “Call unto me and I will answer you . . .” Concerning hearing from God, the truth is, there is a universal broadcast going on all the time. The problem lies in finding one who will hear, answer the call, and follow.

While many are waiting to be transported by the Spirit from one place to another, others are finding that the working of the spirit is already operational in their life. Being borne about by the Spirit. We were there, and now we are here, and it was the Spirit of God who brought us. He leadeth me. Where He leads me I will follow. Many say: “God is looking for a people.” May His search end with you and me!