The Good Shepherd - Your Nightly Prayer

Meg Bucher

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Your Nightly Prayer

The Good Shepherd
Your Nightly Prayer for Jan. 17, 2025
by Meg Bucher

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” – Psalm 23:1 NLT

SOMETHING TO PONDER

I love …LOVE …to shop. Whether it’s dedicating a few hours to comb the thrift store for treasure or managing my online shopping carts like it’s a second job, I love being able to meet a need or satisfy a want –not just for me, but for my kids, family, friends, and community. There is so much joy in giving, especially when it’s something the receiver doesn’t see coming. This verse today reminds me that I’ll never be able to satisfy all of my needs or those around me. But just doing what I can and want to do brings me so much joy. It allows me to understand, just a tiny bit, what compels God to provide for us.

Our Provider, He is our Shepherd. We have all that we need because of Him. Things that are tangible, yes. Everything is in my Amazon cart right now, but probably not. But sometimes, we do get to do and have extravagant things! God’s love for us is endless. Imagine that. No limit. No end. Even if we could take every trip or buy everything we want in life – it wouldn’t satisfy us. No, today’s verse reminds us that God gives us everything we need. The intangible. Healing, health, relationships, blessing, connection, wisdom, joy, peace, mercy, forgiveness …Jesus! We can’t give those things to people without God. Through Him and in Him, everything breathes and moves, including the intangibles. True joy, whether we accredit Him for it or not, comes from Him. All good things …every blessing, does.

The rest of this Psalm continues on to comfort our souls like sherpa-lined socks on a cold winter night. Toasty warm. We don’t want to move from that warm, comfortable spot. What a blessing. That’s right …it’s all Him. Knowing what we need, never having to guess. God knows our hearts completely, so often, before we even know what to ask Him for, He is rushing in to love on us.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Father,
The apostle John captured Jesus’ proclamation: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). You anticipated every need, Father, including what was necessary for our salvation. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, met the need we never could. Thank You, God, for giving us all we need.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO PONDER

1. What do you need today?

2. What needs has God met for you today?

3. In what ways has God blessed you beyond what you need?

Meg Bucher Meg is a graduate of Ashland University. She is a writer, author, editor, and digital content creator. She stepped away from her job in Internet Marketing in 2008 to raise her daughters, which gave her passion for writing a chance to shine through her blog, Sunny&80… Life within the Love of Christ. Meg has served as a Children’s Worship Team Leader and Middle School Leader for her local church. She founded and led the Breakfast Club Bible Study for Tweens, has served as a Young Life Leader and Committee Member, and led Women’s Bible Study. She has also volunteered as a content creator for her local church, studied Bible/Ministerial Training through Global University, and completed COMPEL PRO Writers Training. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the team at Salem Web Network. You can find her entire library of books on her Amazon Author Page.