Morning Thought: When Jesus called me, I knew he wanted me to be a pastor. However, I thought it was way too difficult, and I fought against the call. The Holy Spirit urged me to leave my old life behind – my DJ business, my visionary ideas and my vinyl records. The Father had something better for me – but I resisted – feeling the cost was too much. And yet, the Shepherd still called. The twelfth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is ל Lamed. It’s the tallest Hebrew letter and stands in the middle of the alphabet, keeping watch over the other letters. Lamed is the shepherd, the watchman and the teacher. While it stands tall, it is also bent, signifying its humility.
The closest associated word to the letter ל Lamed is למד lamad. Lamad למד means both to learn and to teach. In the ancient Jewish mind, to learn and to teach were the same. To teach, you must learn, and to learn, you must teach. Jesus called twelve disciples (Talmidim תלמידים, from the word lamad למד) to teach them. But it didn’t stop there. They were then to become shepherds to teach others (John 21:15-17). I had to humble myself to embrace God’s call. Are you willing to follow the Shepherd wherever he will lead? The Lamed portion of Psalm 119 reads, “Forever [L’olam לעולם], O Yahweh, your word stands in heaven” (Psalm 119:89, my translation).
Invasion of Light 