In Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005, one sheep
jumped off a cliff and then nearly 1,500 others followed! In the end, about
one-third of them died. Not knowing which way to go, sheep mindlessly follow
other members of the flock.
No better word picture than sheep can be
found to illustrate our need for a trustworthy leader. We are all, Isaiah
wrote, like sheep (Isa. 53:6). We tend to go our own way, yet we desperately
need the sure direction of a shepherd.
Psalm 23 describes the trustworthiness of
our Good Shepherd. He cares for us (v.1); He provides for our physical needs
(v.2); He shows us how to live holy lives (v.3); He restores us, comforts us,
heals us, and bountifully blesses us (vv.3-5); and He will not abandon us (v.6).
What a comfort to know that God gently but
firmly leads us! He does so through the urging of the Holy Spirit, the reading
of His Word, and through prayer. God is the reliable leader we need.
In acknowledgment of our dependence on the
Lord, we can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He
leads me beside the still waters.”(Psalm 23:1,2)
The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to guide us. (RBC)
