December 3, 2025 // Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 23:1-6
Reflect on the Word //
Grief swelled through my heart, as the weight of another closed door came upon me. The plan fell through—the plan that I thought would bring about the healing that I’d been desperate for. In my woundedness, I had been grasping and reaching for my own healing, and was devastated when my plan failed, after I was convinced that it would work. The hopelessness that began to weigh on my heart gave me no other option than to go to Him. After I poured out my raw emotions upon Him, I gently received in my heart an inclination to ask: Where to now, Good Shepherd?
Psalm 23, which we pray today, describes Jesus as our Shepherd. I’m more than familiar with this Psalm and Jesus’ title in the Gospels that He gives Himself of the “Good Shepherd." There's nothing wrong with wanting an answer or guidance, especially in these painful situations, and He will always provide and lead His sheep down “right paths.” However, in this moment of heartbreak and pain, I forgot the “good” in Good Shepherd. Do I believe He desires to lead me to “verdant pastures” and give me “repose”? That He leads me to “restful waters” and “refreshes my soul”? That His “goodness and kindness” are pursuing me endlessly? My desperation and sorrow were not an invitation to despair, but an invitation into deeper intimacy with Him, as I shared my disappointment and frustration. Intimacy is at the forefront of His Heart.
Friend, we should not think of Jesus as a solution to our problems, but rather as our God after our hearts. As our Good Shepherd, He desires to bring us to Himself, where we will experience the true rest, peace, and deep intimacy we seek. More than what we think an immediate path or solution could provide. We might not always have an instant answer, but we will always have Him, and His goodness and kindness that pursue us all the days of our lives (see Psalm 23:6).
Relate to the Lord // Today, make this prayer your own: Where to now, Good Shepherd?
Bella Rol is a college student from Monterey, CA. She is studying Early Childhood Education as she pursues her dream of working with children and one day having her own to care for. In the meantime, she is the big sister to three younger brothers. In her free time she is usually found with her sketchbook and art supplies as she doodles away.
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