For The Final Stretch

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once, “Man, I can’t believe it’s September already.”

For some, that thought may bring positive sentiments such as gratitude and joy for how well the year has progressed. In many areas of our lives, we’ve finally been able to breathe a sigh of relief, experiencing the rest that comes with the peace of answered prayers. Prayers that we’ve been faithfully carrying to God.

But for others, it may bring a very different feeling. Maybe disappointment over what hasn’t happened, grief over what has, frustration over plans that didn’t quite work out, or fear of what remains uncertain. All of the things that can feel quite heavy when you’re already fighting to remain.

Or maybe it’s a mix of both. I’ve come to learn that life often exists in a duality of highs and lows. At any given point, we can find ourselves standing on the mountaintop in one area of our lives while simultaneously walking through the agony of a valley experience in another.

And if we’re honest, both experiences can sometimes give us the urge to want to take the lead.

When the prayers get answered, we think we can take it from there. When things aren’t going well, we immediately want to do damage control. But in neither situation are we ever called to move from our position of dependency on God.

'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.' Psalms 23:1-3 NKJV

Even in the meadows of green pastures, and along the riverbanks of peaceful streams, sheep still need their Shepherd. And when the darkness of the valley closes in, it’s the nearness of the Shepherd that calms their every fear.

I think that’s one of the things I love most about Psalm 23.

David doesn’t describe a life where everything is perfect, he describes a life that is shepherded.

A life that is carefully guided through green pastures, still waters, paths of righteousness, and valleys.

A life where there is provision, but also pain. Rest, but also uncertainty.

And yet, throughout all of it, there is one thing that is consistent:

The Shepherd is leading.

And I think that is something worth remembering as we enter the final stretch of this year.

We can become so focused on where we thought we would be by now, having a list of things we were sure God would have answered by this point in time.

Or maybe, on the other hand, things have gone better than expected. Doors have opened, prayers were answered, and things have finally started making sense.

Yet the invitation remains the same: Follow the Shepherd.

Not your timeline.

Not your emotions.

Not your fear.

Not your own understanding.

Because if He is leading us, we can trust His direction.

If He is leading us, we can trust His timing.

If He is leading us, we can trust His pace.

We don’t have to know what the rest of the year holds in order to trust the One who does. We can rest in knowing that He knows exactly where He is leading us without trying to force what comes next.

We don’t have to rush to make up for lost time or manipulate things to happen before the year ends. We can trust His pace, even when it doesn’t match our own.

We also don't have to allow the valley to cause us to lose sight of who He is. The environment may change, but He doesn’t. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

And His presence is still with us even when we can’t see what’s ahead.

So as we enter the final stretch of this year, it’s my prayer that you would be rooted in the truth that the Lord is your Shepherd.

And I pray that you would trust Him enough to follow Him when the path makes sense and when it doesn’t; when He leads you into green pastures and when He leads you through the valley; when you’re praising Him for what He has already done and when you’re still waiting in expectation for what is yet to come.

Continue to follow Him.