The Queen of Portugal
Logan, a.k.a. Yogi, plopped himself down on the couch next to me one day when he was just 5. I was watching a TV show about families moving from the U.S. to affordable places along the Mediterranean Coast in various countries.
“I watch?” he asked.
“You want to watch this?” I questioned back.
“Yeah!”
“All right,” I shrugged. Anything to sit and cuddle with my Yogi.
This particular episode was a couple from California looking to buy a house in Portugal. It was quaint, near the water, and absolutely gorgeous with year-round warm weather. So, I turned to Logan and said, “We should move there… What could your dad do in Portugal?”
Logan paused, gave it some thought, and suggested, “Queen?!?”
There were no queen jobs in Portugal for JP, unfortunately, so we’re still in Colorado!
God certainly led us to this little town we’ve called home for over eight years now, and while not my first choice and definitely not perfect – such a place does not exist – there is much to be grateful for. We’ve seen His blessings in abundance and His favor on where He has us. Yet, JP and I often discuss other places we could live. We’ve always been open and willing to entertain an adventure to a completely different place, across the country or across an ocean, if God so chooses to call us elsewhere and open the necessary doors to get us there.
In the Old Testament, though, when the Israelites were in the wilderness before making it to the promised land, God told them when to move and when to stay put by setting a cloud above the tabernacle. Numbers 9:22 reads, “Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.”
How convenient is that? They had a physical sign they could literally see every day to guide them. Sounds nice, right?
But you know what is actually better?
In John 10:11, Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd and says, “‘He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…his sheep follow him because they know his voice’” (John 10:3-4, emphasis mine). Because the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within every believer like we see in Acts 2, we are blessed with the ability to know His voice. Ah, yes. This is far better.
A cloud is distant and impersonal; His voice is loving and intimate. It may be a still, small voice that sometimes we find difficult to hear. Other times, it may seem unclear. Perhaps, at times, His voice is silent. (We must not forget we are on a need-to-know basis of God’s plans.) Nonetheless, to be called by name – the sweetest sound one can hear – by the Good Shepherd, by the King of kings, by the Savior of the World, by our Heavenly Father. Yes, please!
Even more so than our geographical location, Psalm 23:2-3 says of our Shepherd: “He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
And we read in Isaiah 58:11, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought.”
In both pieces of Scripture, Jesus leads me and refreshes my soul. He guides me for His glory and satisfies my soul. He is not just concerned about where I am, but how I am.
God does not just lead us so we know where to go. He leads us so that our souls are fulfilled as we go.
So, when we ask God where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do, we must also ask for ears to hear and trust that the Good Shepherd will speak to us by name. He will lead us. He will guide us. He will tell us when to stay, when to go, what to do, and when to wait – all for His glory. And in the midst of every detail of our lives, it’s His presence that will satisfy our souls.
“‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me’” (John 10:27).
