Prayer Works Morning Devotion: July 3, 2025

The Qualities Of God As Revealed In His Names

"Psalm 23:1 Jehovah Rohi-The Lord Is Our Shepherd"

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Good morning, everybody, I pray that you are rested, I pray that you had a wonderful night and ready for another day with great expectation of what the Lord can do for us, let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning. We come before you, your throne of grace.  

We approach you with confidence knowing that you are our well. You are the place we can run to and find all that we need. Thank you for being our Father and us being your children. We think you Lord that you are an incredible phenomenon, shepherd. That you have our needs in your heart.  

So that you can continuously create a path in the way for us in this treacherous terrain. We thank you, Lord, that we are part of a Kingdom that's invisible, but yet we carried in our heart that in it, we find all that we need, we find help. 

We find strength, we find wisdom, we find courage, we find boldness, we find direction. We thank you that this Kingdom will never die. We thank you that this Kingdom that we are part of is coming to fruition.  

We thank you, Lord, that this Kingdom is coming together that is growing and we are so blessed that you have given us a place in it, our own little corner as we do what we do. So we thank you for the gifts and talents that enables us to function in this Kingdom.  

So I pray, Lord, that as we do our part may this body of Christ that we belong to continue to grow until it comes to full manifestation. So we bless you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.  

Well if you're joining us for the first time we are going through the names of Lord, of God in this month of June and July. To give us a greater understanding of who God is and his character towards us.  

So that when we approach him, we approach him with clarity and understanding and confidence. So that when we call on his name, we are calling on his characters. But again, only doing all this so that we can have a greater understanding and grow in the knowledge of who he is.  

Thus, making our prayer life our worship life, our devotion time with him much greater and greater level of understanding in how we relate with God. That's what we are doing so yesterday we talked about Jehovah Rapha.  

Today we are looking at God's name Jehovah Roi. Jehovah Roi simply means the Lord our shepherd. The Lord our Shepherd Psalms 23 is the ultimate definition of Jehovah Roi. So Adonai is my shepherd I like nothing, right.  

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want that opening statement the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. In other words, when David wrote this, he is writing from experience at this time there are things that he has experienced. 

That he can now attest and testify to who God is. So David was a young man who his parents or his father rather did not have much love and care for him. In fact, his father occasionally forgets that he exists and in his journey of being a shepherd boy.  

He had fought Lions. He had protected his sheep from bears and this man, this young man, had gone through so much. And in his long journey he had experienced God leading and guiding and protecting him in so many different ways and hence he wrote Psalms 23 from that perspective.  

Now I always say every time you see something in scriptures, it’s because God wants us to know because we occasionally forget, or we occasionally do the opposite of what's in the scripture.  

God wants us to know that he is a shepherd. The reason we have Psalms 23 is because we forget that he is our shepherd. So it's put in scriptures so that we are constantly being reminded that God is a Good Shepherd.  

Now if we are to really kind of understand this name, we have to kind of look at the characteristics of shepherds. A shepherd's job is to lead sheep. He is ahead of the sheep and the sheep is following a shepherd's job is to find green pastures for the sheep.  

A shepherd's job is to cultivate so that sheep can eat. So God called himself Jehovah Roi, I am your shepherd because my job is to lead you and find new postures and protect you from harm and danger. 

If you go astray, I will leave all the sheep and come to find you because I don't want to lose anyone. That's why he is Jehovah Roi. There’s an emphasis that God does not want to lose any human being and hence he calls himself the great shepherd.  

He feeds his flock. He takes care of the flock if anyone if any of the sheep gets injured he carries and as God's role in our lives as much as he is a provider and all the other things that God is.  

This is the one that I believe we need to closely call on because as we are living this life we are constantly in need of direction to be led and for God to bring us from point A to point B.  

That’s God Jehovah Roi our shepherd. So these are the few things I wrote here that he does. He feeds us. Which means that his word is our spiritual food. His word is our spiritual food. He's seeks those who go astray.  

He works with us through difficult valleys of life. Brothers and sisters there is not one challenge in this life that you will go through that God will not walk with you. And it's necessary to keep in our minds because most times when we are going through challenges.  

We always feel like God has forsaken us. But the scripture says he is closer to the broken hearted, which means that there is not one difficult challenge that you will go through in this life that God is not working with you or is not leading you.  

Sometimes it may feel like he’s not that way that he is. He restores us spiritually. It's God's job. He restores, to restore you spiritually when you feel empty, when you feel tired, God restores you spiritually.  

He provides all your needs according to his riches and glory. That's what the shepherd does. He provides all your needs according to his riches in glory. He protects us from evil. That’s one of God's primary job.  

That's why in the Lord's prayer we say lead us not into temptation. Primary job that God has given himself is to protect you and I from evil one. Because we need that protection. Now the other part that sometimes we forget is that if he is a shepherd then we are the sheep.  

We are the sheep. And it is important that sheep know who we have Lord is. It is important to know that it is he that made us. We didn't make ourselves. It is important that it's God.  

We know that God is the one who places us in environments, in places where we find ourselves. That's why most time we can never go back and say, man, this is what I had in mind and then it came to be most times God is always placing us in environments, we find ourselves in, how they get here.  

That you will know that you are in the right place because he places you there. I live in Birmingham, AL. All the way from Zimbabwe. Because the reality is that all these years since I left home was 18 year old young man God has led me and placed me in different environments in different places.  

And it was his doing otherwise, if it was left to me as a young man to decide where. I don't know if I will be here. I don't know if I would have lived in German, in Boston, France. But all those things have transpired because the Lord is my shepherd.  

He has guided and he has led me. So it's important for sheep to know that God is leading. It's important for sheep to not resist God's leading. It's important for sheep to know these are the pastures that God has given us.  

That's why you hear me over and over and over again say, we must read the scriptures. The reason for because that's the food the shepherd has given us. So if you don't eat the food, or if you if the shepherd takes it to a pasture and you decide, I don't want to eat.  

Then you're going to be hungry. So you can only eat while the shepherd is put in front of you and God has put scriptures in front of us as daily food. God gives his life for us, Jehovah Roi. He gave up his life for us, sent his son to die, the ultimate sacrifice.  

Ultimate protection is that I will die for you. For your sins so that you can attain purity. That's Jehovah Roi. He cares for us, he leads us in the paths of peace and righteousness.  

So every time you find yourself in peace, righteousness is because God is led you through that path. And of course, we said he seeks and saves those who were lost. So the moment you feel lost, what should we do? Automatically look to the great Shepherd.  

That's why Jesus says if a man has 100 sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leaves the 99 and go to the mountains to seek the one, that is stray? And if he should find it assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over than sheep than over the 99 that did not go astray.  

He rejoices more when he finds that one that has been lost. That's Jehovah Roi. Made the ultimate sacrifice to die for the sheep. And this is important, brothers and sisters, for us to understand as we lead families as we lead that a shepherds job, a pastor's job, leaders job is to create pasture so that others can eat.  

That’s why you must grow in the knowledge of who God is. So that when people come encounter with us they eat. My kids always laugh at me like dads there time you never just relax and not teach.  

And I'm like, I don't think so, because every moment here with me in the car or we're going somewhere, it's a teaching moment because as a father, I understand that I am a shepherd. And my job is to provide for you things to eat physically, spiritually, emotionally. 

Because we constantly need food. That's why we have to stay on the Scriptures, brothers and sisters, because what you ate yesterday will not satisfy you tomorrow. That's why the scripture says give us today.  

Who are we saying that to the great Shepherd? Give us today Our Daily Bread because every day you are going to need food and the shepherd is always ready to provide food for us today. 

That's why I always say every day has its own idea. Every day has its own foods, spiritual food, them God lays today is going to be guiding us through this world in the path of the righteous.  

Today is going to guide us as we interact with people and go different places. I want us to be aware of God's leading in everything that we are doing because he is a great shepherd. That's his desire, that in everything that we do.  

No matter how simple it is, he is leading and guiding. Taking us from point A to point B, making sure that we are safe on that journey, making sure that we are fed on that journey. Making sure that we will not get lost on that journey.  

That's what salvation is. Seeking and save the lost, ultimate job of the Shepherd Jehovah, Roi, Our great shepherds. So let us remember that God is leading and let us remember our role as sheep. So that we are aware of big shepherd and we are aware of what our responsibilities a sheep is to eat what God has provided.  

And quick example of this. Now you know, every day I could pretty much say every day or sometimes, you know, I get encouraging words through text message right.  

And when I gave an encouraging word through text message that I always see or feel is that God, in his infinite wisdom he has directed another person and in their spiritual connection with God. They have sent this to me not because it's interesting because I always feel like the Lord says today I want you to eat this, I want you to eat this.  

Now I always ask myself after I have watched or read what I've been saying like why do you want me to eat this today? What is it about this food today that you want me to understand. Inasmuch as our early morning devotion, as soon as we are done with this devotion you should ask yourself Lord why do you want me to eat these foods today?  

What is it about this food that pertains to today that I need to grasp. Because when a shepherd takes you to a pasture he is expecting you to eat because he understands what's in this grass. 

That's God, every time somebody thinks of you and sends you something. That’s God saying I am your shepherd, I'm bringing you something and I want you to eat this spiritually, because it will enhance, it will push you or it will take you through difficult times.  

So brothers and sisters you know yesterday I was sitting down there, you know, just going through the news of the day. We are about to go through some difficult times in this country.  

I believe with all my heart that God is trying to redirect people's attention towards him and there's a level of resistance that this world this season, people have for spiritual things. And we are going to need Jehovah Roi to guide us, even in the most simplest things that we used to take for granted that we can do for ourselves.  

From what to eat, what to watch, where to go, what to say. We're going to need it because what his reason it's difficult situations and conditions. That are going to demand that believers lean in to the Lord and lean in with all our understanding.  

I have been really asking the Lord, as we study these names. That why in this season if you laid this on our table to understand and to know these names. What is it about this hour that you are wanting us to understand these names, it’s because when we call on the name of the Lord.  

We need to know what name we are calling on that particular day. And I'm encouraging you, brothers and sisters know these names go over them again and again and again. Understand God's characters in his names. Even when we get finished with this series we should never stop learning about these names.  

Because when we call on him he is all that in the name for whatever challenge or whatever season we might find ourselves in. So let's go through these names again and again and again because we are about to enter a very difficult time.  

They are telling us too and they are not telling us because they are spiritually you know astute. They are telling us because they know the things they have done. That they are not going to yield anything good.  

So in order to it's not like we are being taught things are going to be difficult because they care. They're saying that in order to protect themselves from what they know they have done.  

But you and I we need to lean to the Lord. If you remember last year I pushed the idea that don't watch too much news this year because it will stop us from leaning in to the Lord.  

It will grab our attention. Right now our attention has to be on the Lord. Undivided on the Lord. We need it and that's we should do it. This is why we are lending these names so that our relationship with God is enhanced through understanding of his character, Amen. Let us pray.  

Heavenly Father, our blessed Redeemer. Our words cannot express the magnitude of who you are. How you have laid everything foundationally so that we are never lost in this journey of life.  

My prayer Lord is that as we are learning these names as we are creating a greater understanding of who you are. May you by your spirit give us a greater level of understanding so that we are never found lacking or wanting.  

The scripture says the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want. Our desire, Lord, is to not want but rather to be continuously satisfied by your spirit. I pray Lord for wisdom understanding application of the knowledge we have about who you are.  

Give us the strength, the boldness, the courage, the determination to confidently call on these names knowing that we can approach the throne of grace through the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary.  

Father as we are going through this season continue to remind us that you are our shepherd. That we are not going to lack or want for anything. Provide for us in ways that meet your character.  

Heal us  emotionally, physically, mentally. Show us where to go to eat, show us protection in the times of need. So we call on you, Jehovah, Roi. We call on you, Jehovah Shammah. We call on you Jehovah Rapha. The holy one of Israel we call on you.  

So, Father our trust is in you. We completely trust you and we thank you that you are close. Walking in step with us through this difficult and treacherous terrain. We thank you for wisdom in this season.  

Thank you for grace. Now as we look ahead, we look ahead with great confidence knowing now that you are guiding us as a shepherd. That you lead us towards the path of righteousness and peace.  

So continue Lord as we follow you behind. We thank you, Lord, for this Kingdom fellowship. Time that we spend with one another, communing with you and the spirit. Thank you for giving us daily bread that has sustained us for all this period of months and years we've been together.  

Thank you, Lord that is a privilege and an honor to give us revelation to help us to live this Christians life. We bless you and Father, we ask that as we go through this day make your name great through us.  

Pray for protection and pray for provision. We pray for courage, pray for understanding and we have the wisdom to eat what you have prepared for us spiritually. I thank you for every single one of us, for their families.  

I bless everybody and every family represented here and we ask, Lord that may you by your spirit be with us today. Now lead us not into temptation, but continue to deliver us from the evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.  

Brothers and sisters, he is our shepherd. Walk behind him every step of the way because he is never going to lead you in a difficult terrain. Have a wonderful day and we'll see you tomorrow.