Day 2 | Shepherd - Shawna

A shepherd leads, guides, and protects his sheep. He would lay down his life for the sheep, and cares for their needs above his own. God wants to do that for us if we let Him.

In the Old Testament, God isn’t often referred to as a shepherd. In fact, this is just one of five instances. 

In Genesis 48:15, Jacob claims God as his shepherd:

Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers

  Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,

the God who has been my shepherd

  all my life to this day…”

In Psalm 78:52, God leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt like a shepherd:

But he brought his people out like a flock;

  he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

Isaiah 40:11 shows God nurtures like a shepherd:

He tends his flock like a shepherd:

  He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

And in Ezekiel 34:12, God rescues like a shepherd:

As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

In John 10, Jesus refers to Himself both as the gate for the sheep and the Good Shepherd. In Jesus’ day, there were many stone pens that shepherds could keep their sheep in overnight to keep them safe while they wander and graze during the day. These were pens that had only an opening as a gate. The shepherd himself would lay down and sleep in that opening to keep the sheep in and enemies (predators) out. There could also be numerous flocks sleeping in each pen at night. In the morning, one shepherd would call his sheep, and all of his sheep would recognize his voice and follow him. Then another shepherd would call his sheep, and they too, knew the voice of their shepherd and would follow. None would follow a robber or enemy because they knew to listen for their masters’ voice. Jesus’ role as the gate means He is the only way to salvation. Faith in Jesus is absolutely the only way to spend eternity with God. And sheep don’t merely have faith, they FOLLOW. We are called to follow Jesus every moment of every day, trusting His leading, guiding, provision and rescue as our shepherd.

How well do we know the voice of Jesus and His Holy Spirit? Do we quiet our hearts and minds to listen to Him often so we know His voice when He speaks? Can we distinguish the voice of the Spirit from the voice of the enemy? This takes time in the Bible and in prayer and silence with the Lord.

When Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, it is because He laid down His life for His sheep. Jesus willingly died to rescue us and bring all people into His flock as His own.

Because the Father is our shepherd, we know He will lead, nurture, rescue, and provide. Because Jesus is our shepherd, we have salvation, we are adopted into God’s family, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit so we can learn to listen to Him and follow His voice.

REFLECT

1. How has God shown up in your life as your shepherd? Are you allowing Him to lead?

2. If you’ve trusted Jesus for salvation, have you committed to follow Him as well, leaving behind your desires for your life to surrender fully to Him?

3. How well do you know your Shepherds voice? Are you aware that God has put His Spirit in you if you believe, and He is walking with you every moment of the day, ready to lead and guide?

PRAYER

Father, thank you for shepherding your people since the beginning of time. You are our leader and provider, and we can trust you! Jesus, thank you for laying down your life for me. You truly are the Good Shepherd, to love me so much to die for me. Please help me to follow you, to live how you want me to live, and to allow you to transform my heart to make it like yours. Help me to want what you want. Holy Spirit, help me to recognize your voice. Speak to me. Silence the noise around me so I listen. Give me the discernment and courage to obey. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Spend some time in silence today, listening for the voice of your shepherd. If this is new for you, it might be one minute. If you can, spend ten minutes. Your mind will wander, but when it does, merely say, “Shepherd, teach me to listen to your voice,” and try to listen once again.