The Lord is my Shepherd

Christians are like sheep. These animals are easily frightened, prone to wander, seem to ignore danger, and are far better off when they stay with other sheep. I sometimes wonder if God created them so He could use them as a metaphor for His people!

However, there are some advantages of being compared to a sheep. Ancient shepherds didn’t herd their sheep; they called them, even called them by name. This was important because various flocks of sheep might be pastured together. At night, when it was time to bring them into their specific enclosures for protection, each animal went through the gate of its owner’s fold because it knew his voice. He called them and they responded. Once inside, they were kept safe for the night.

Jesus used this to illustrate faith and His power to keep His people eternally safe. He said:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27-28)

As one of His sheep, I know when He is talking to me. I also know that other Christians have that same awareness. When we are together and sharing what God is doing in our lives, it is exciting to recognize the power of His voice to get through to us, even when we wander off or seem to be resisting Him. He calls and we hear Him.

He also knows me. This isn’t a mere knowing my name, or who I am and where I live. He knows everything about me: my thoughts, my needs, the desires of my heart, and even understands motivations and deeper matters that I might not know or understand myself.

This also is a comfort. When I wander and His rod or staff corrects me, I can be sure that He pulls me back because He knows what is good for me, knows it far better than I know myself. When I need to be comforted, or encouraged, or taught lessons, or given a hug, He knows. Even more than that, because He is God He is able do something about it. He can give me what I need, sometimes doing it Himself, and sometimes doing it through another sheep.

Jesus also says that His sheep follow Him. Oh, I might stray for a time, or stumble. My gait can be sloppy and I often seem to be following a different shepherd, but because I belong to Jesus, the trend of my life is toward Him. I’m going where He goes and as He says in these verses, it is because I have what He has.

Jesus possesses eternal life and He gives this life to His sheep. I have eternal life. As He says, I will never perish. No one can snatch Him away from me or me away from Him. Nothing can separate me from my Shepherd. We are inseparable because we share in eternal life.

This intimacy of relationship is described in other ways, but I like the sheep and shepherd metaphor. I once owned a flock of sheep. They were difficult, paid no attention to my voice whatsoever, and needed constant and vigilant care. They were silly and mindless. Remembering what it was like makes me laugh, but it also humbles me and fills my heart with gratitude at the patience and salvation power of my Shepherd.