Week of May 3rd, 2026
Encouragement from God's Word
The word pictures from Psalm 23 and John 10 are filled with comfort as God pictures himself as a Shepherd who carefully watches over his sheep. As we live under our Good Shepherd, Martin Luther offers an insightful thought about hearing the voice of our Shepherd and finding strength in him. In a sermon on John 10, Martin Luther said:
A Christian lives on in full, assured hope. He eats, drinks, works, does what he has been commanded to do. Yea, I dare say, he also suffers with joy whatever suffering is placed on him. For his ears hang on the voice and Word of his Shepherd, and he schools himself not to judge by what experiences and feels but by what the voice and the Word says. (What Luther Says, p. 512)
Learn to judge life, first and foremost, by the promises of your Good Shepherd. The devil can twist anything, even our feelings. But the promises of God stand firm. Look to the cross of Jesus for assurance of God’s love, not the circumstances of your life. The voice of your Good Shepherd always speaks with love and compassion to you.
John 10:10
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
