Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
If human beings yearn for peace and security, they also need trustworthy guidance to bring them through hard times. The future is a closed book to us all. Even if we make plans for our way forward, with a clear path to follow, we can have no confidence that any of it will become reality. The year of 2020 has proved that the main building blocks of our life – the bonds between family and friends, work, trade, travel – can be dismantled with frightening ease by an unforeseen threat.
Who do you trust in a situation like this? For many people, confidence in authorities has been severely eroded: conflicting advice comes from government ministers, news outlets, opinion writers and social media. There may be truth out there, but it’s hard to recognise through the babble of so many voices.
When the future is unsure and frightening, people look for reassurance. But vague and untrustworthy guides like the ones listed in verse 2 – false prophets and spiritual gurus who offer superficially comforting lies – only serve to increase insecurity. Their followers begin to ‘wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a shepherd’. Trust ebbs away, to be replaced by ever-increasing fear.
You will notice that the advisers that Zechariah speaks of are very impersonal, speaking into empty air. Desperate people latch on to their words, but are led round in circles. By contrast, when Jesus describes himself as the ‘good shepherd’ in John 10, he focuses on the personal relationship between himself and his flock: ‘He knows his own sheep by name … and the sheep follow him because they know his voice’ (John 10.3–4).
Zechariah tells us that God wants to strengthen his people (verses 6, 12) so that they can fight with confidence (verses 5, 7). This can happen only if they, and we, turn to him as our shepherd.
Thank you, Jesus, that you know each of us by name and that you are a trustworthy guide. We want to follow you closely, with confidence and strength.
This reflection was written by Lisa Cherrett, Editorial Project Manager in the Publishing team
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