At the Gate with Blue

Every morning when I step outside for my walk with God, the dogs greet me, eager and ready to play. Shepherd dogs know how to shepherd. They know how to move cattle, sheep, and even goats. It’s in their blood. They are wise, discerning, and eager to please.

Blue, our male dog, struts around the farm, big and strong, yet never, ever without his “binkie,” a.k.a., his ball in his mouth. He carries it everywhere with him. His ball is his pacifier, his immense source of comfort and sheer joy. He protects that ball fiercely.

This morning, when I looked over at him standing at the gate waiting for me to play ball with him, my heart was endeared to him. And the Lord began our teaching with this image.

The Lord said that He is the one standing at the gate, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock (Rev. 3:20).” Jesus is the One standing at the door, asking to be let in. He is the gate to the sheepfold (John 10:9).

This is what my morning walks with Jesus are like. It is our precious time together walking in the cool of the garden. He waits for me each day, but I suppose instead of a wagging tail, it’s a happy head turned in my direction. For He is the head, the mind that guides, the supreme governing power, and always, without fail, Jesus has His “binkie” in His mouth as well. He watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12), just as Blue watches over his ball and keeps it with him, ready to drop it at my feet or place it in my hand.

The Lord is as eager to meet with me as Blue, who stands at the gate and waits. Each morning, this routine is my sheer delight. The Word is the ball, the sphere of pure joy that we pass back and forth. The Lord brings His word to me, and I send it far and wide. Jesus runs to find it, to ensure it accomplishes its mission, and He brings it back to me FULFILLED.

One might think, Misti, shouldn’t you be Blue in this analogy, and Jesus represent you, the Master? I thought so too, but this is not how the Lord wanted me to see it this morning. He is the one standing at the gate, waiting for YOU to unleash Him. He is the one holding the ball, the Word, the source of comfort and joy.

Wanna play ball?
Wanna see how far you can throw it?
Wanna watch our Lord run and fetch for you?

“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

Are you ready to see how swift He is to run with the Word you have thrown for Him?

Are you ready to watch what He can do, the One who shepherds: the one who gathers the cattle of the field, both sheep and goats?

Have you not witnessed His agility? His endurance? His power?

He always finds the ball that you cast, and He returns it to you.

“So, shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Blue drops the ball at my feet. He places the ball in my hand.
I’m the one that must do something with it.

The Lord says, “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

He says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
That’s YOUR tongue.

Jesus is saying, “I am the Mega Ball Winner, and I’m placing the ball in your hand. What will you do with it? What will you do with the Word I have given you? Will you squander your winning or multiply it? My Word is your lottery winning.”

Oh, how I love my Shepherd dogs. They stand at the gate and wait for me each morning. They watch over and protect me. They alert me when danger is near. They tell me when a goat is stuck in the fence and needs care. They come to me with a full mouth, ready to distribute and play.

Life with our Good Shepherd is joyful. He’s the one waiting at the gate to bring us a Word, to bring us joy. He wags His tail each time He sees us, hoping we stretch forth our hands towards Him. He stares into our souls the same way the dogs do mine…always comforting, always helping, always shepherding, always eager to engage and play, and work the fields with me.

Will you open the gate?
Will you take the ball and cast it?
He’s waiting for His walk with you too.

I started with an affirmative statement: “Shepherd dogs know how to shepherd. They know how to move cattle, sheep, and even goats. It’s in their blood. They are wise, discerning, and eager to please.”

It’s “in the blood” of your Good Shepherd to know what to do as well. He starts by bringing you what’s in His mouth: His Word.

Open the gate, take the “ball,” and throw it. He will return it to you, ready for you to throw it again. 100% guaranteed.

“He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction” (Psalm 107:20).

Misti Rains Kantor

Newer reflection: Fly, Little Messengers

Earlier reflection: Well-Watered