God is our Shepard!

Imagine with me for a moment that you were a wild animal walking in an open field.  As you slumbered through a field, you came close to a man with a large stick in his hand.  You had seen this same man before using that same stick to help free a sheep from some heavy brush.  You had also seen this same man before from afar using that same stick to fend off an animal.  If you are like me, you might be conflicted about the man’s intended use for the stick and run away.  

You may have caught my subtle reference to Psalm 23:4 which reads “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  A Shepard carries a staff to gently guide his sheep, help them when they are in trouble, and protect them from danger (for this discussion I’m assuming the rod and staff are one tool with multiple purposes).  I was working through a devotional dialog on this Psalm 23 a few weeks ago and it really made me think about the use of the Shepard’s staff.  From the perspective of the sheep who know the Shepard, they are comforted by the presence of the staff.  Those who do not follow the Shepard most likely see the staff as a threat.

God is our Shepard!  He guides, helps, and protects us.  Even in the darkest of days we shall fear no evil when we are with Him.  I have friends and family who don’t know our Shepard.  They have even confessed they fear how God will change the life that they lead.  I want them to know that God is merely trying to reach out and help them.  He’s not trying to push them away.  Like the rest of Psalm 23 teaches us, God wants to guide His sheep to green pastures and beside quiet waters.  He wants to lead them along the right path for His name’s sake.  My friends and family who fear God need to know that His rod and His staff are there to provide them comfort.  Yes, there may be pain in leaving an old life behind to follow God.  But I believe that the pain is from thorns and brush that rub up against us as God is using His staff to pull us up out of harm’s way.

My prayer this week is that God will use you and I to help others see the comforting Shepard that He is.  May we show love to those lost sheep so that they too can be led by the Shepard near quiet waters and have their souls refreshed.  Oh what a joy it will be when that next lost sheep comes home!

Have a wonderful week and safe Independence Day and please help me make sure that NO SHEEP IS LEFT BEHIND!