The Lord is my Shepherd part II The very title of the Psalm defines the nature of the relationship. Off course the Lord is my Maker, He is my Father, my Friend, my Brother, my Lord, my Saviour, and my All. But in this context David defines another relationship, and that’s the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. When he says the Lord is my shepherd he is actually saying that I am just a sheep. He can’t be my shepherd unless I agree to be His sheep. As a sheep I must know that the shepherd will guide me, guard me and give me all my needs. He will guide me The Eastern shepherd, unlike the African shepherd, leads from the front. The sheep never think of going ahead of him. He goes ahead and the sheep follows him. The sheep never had to carry the GPS navigator in order to find their path to and from their pastures. They trust the shepherd to know the way and to lead and guide them. As the seasons change, and as one pasture becomes dry, the sheep don’t stress nor become depressed because they know that the shepherd will lead them to another greener pasture. I think the challenge is not for God to be shepherd for He is a good Shepherd, but the biggest challenge is for us to be the sheep, to allow God to lead. We need to realise that this world is just a wilderness and we can’t navigate it by ourselves, we need the Lord to guide us. It is important to know that since He leads from the front whatever we face in this life He knows all about it. He has encountered it first, and after he has weighed it and realised that we will be able to deal with it He allows it to come to us. He will guard me David having been a shepherd he knew the role and responsibility of the shepherd. In the book of 1 Samuel chapter 17 David tells Saul how (when he was a shepherd boy) he fought and killed the lion when it tried to attack one of his lambs. And he continued to say that he did the same to the bear. It is important to note that the lion and the bear were not trying to attack him, but they were attacking the sheep. Now, if a little shepherd can risk his life to protect some little lamb, how much more will the Lord, the Good Shepherd, do to protect his children? Firstly, we need to know that the presence of the shepherd does not mean the absence of danger and trials of life. In fact it is for this reason that we need a shepherd. This life is full of many challenges, and by ourselves we might be devoured by lions and bears. But when we are His sheep we are not afraid of whatever the enemy can do or bring unto our way. We have Divine protection from the devil and his entire army of demons. He will give me all our needs It is important to note that as the shepherd leads, he leads to green pastures, still waters and paths of righteousness. The psalmist makes it clear that he leads to that which is for the best interest of the sheep. If it is lunch that I need, He sets the table before me. If it is water that I need, He provides still mineral water. If it is rest and restoration that I need, he makes me lie down in green pastures so that and take a nap. To prevent sinful infections and to empower me to do His will, He anoints my head with oil. These are all the blessings of being a sheep and having the Lord as the shepherd. He provides all my needs. The Lord is my Shepherd!
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:03:40 +0000
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