“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth” (Psalm 80:1).

 

Psalm 8

 

Through the reverence of your imagination, hit the pause button of your mind and go on a journey with me. Travel to the ancient holy land and ascend to the side of a rugged mountain, halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho in the desolate, arid wilderness of southern Israel. Then, on one of the hillsides, you will notice a small herd of sheep and a faithful shepherd keeping watch over the flock in the late hour of the quite and peaceful night. As the lambs rest faithfully in one of the rare grassy patches of nutrition and comfort, the shepherd looks up into the autumn sky and beholds the magnitude and majesty of the billboard above him.

In the vast expanse of stars, planets and darkness, the shepherd sees the signature of God as the Creator displays His wonder in the giant billboard in the sky.

The shepherd begins to sing in amazement, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth Who have displayed your splendor above the heavens! God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy, holy. The universe displays Your majesty, You are holy, holy.”

1. The Billboard of God’s Name: Jehovah
   Why does God’s name invoke such power, awe and reverence?
2. The Billboard of God’s Awesome Majesty
   How does the cosmos display God’s greatness?
3. The Billboard of God’s Power: NASA has proven the entire cosmos, from its very inception, expanded a billion light years in the first trillionth of a second, proving the supernatural, indescribable power of God.
   How does great power inspire you in your personal battle to defeat the devil’s endless temptation in your mind?
4. The Billboard of God’s Brilliance: The DNA molecule in a human cell is, by far, the most brilliant miniature machine ever built, giving the human genome 150 trillion gigabytes of capacity, millions of times more complex than all apple watches combined!
   How does the display of God’s brilliance inspire your heart of worship and praise?
5. The Billboard of God’s Love
   
   Isaiah 53:5-6 – “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”
   
   Philippians 2:5-8 – “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
   
   Describe how The Shepherd became a lamb.
   Talk about the quality of love and the commitment to love that is found in the heart of a truly great Shepherd.
6. The Billboard of You!
   II Corinthians 3:2-3 – “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
7. How are you God’s billboard today?
8. When people see you, what is your billboard supposed to look like?
9. How do you need to redesign your billboard so that your sheep will see The Shepherd they need to become nourished and protected by in the grassy field of discipleship?

 

 John 13:15 – “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

• From today’s scripture, how does THE Shepherd inspire you to shepherd your flock?

 

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1).

 

Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication