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)
