What Can We Learn about God as Our Shepherd?
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- Updated Apr 14, 2022
Across the entire Bible God calls Himself our Shepherd. Coming from a culture where shepherds and sheep are not as common, we can quickly glance over this concept. However, this is a rich and wonderful description of our Lord and it reveals a lot about ourselves. What can we learn about God as our Shepherd? A Shepherd’s main role is to love the sheep, protect them, guide them, and care for their needs. Sheep are completely dependent upon their shepherd. Sheep are helpless without the guidance of a shepherd. They are a target of prey, weak, and dumb (seriously, sheep’s brain is tiny).
Psalm 95:7a says, “For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”
Jesus (who is God) says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Our Shepherd Loves
First off, if God calls Himself our Good Shepherd, it means that we are loved by Him. A shepherd calls his sheep by name and they know his voice.
John 10:3 says, “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Jesus loves us each personally. We might be individuals among many believers and sheep, however, we are specifically known and loved by our Good Shepherd. To the point where if we wander from His flock, He comes after us and leaves the 99 to go rescue us. (Matthew 18:12)
Maybe you feel like you have been a wanderer in your faith. Perhaps you feel like you have left the purposes of the Lord or abandoned the people of God? Remember that God is pursuing you. He loves you so much that He laid down His life for you on the cross. He revealed His perfect love by dying for us so that we could live. He is our hero, He is our Good Shepherd.
Our Shepherd Protects the Flock
I love that Our Shepherd protects the flock. He cares deeply for us and wants to make sure that harm does not enter our pasture of faith. Just as a shepherd would stand guard at the gate keeping wolves away, our Savior fights for us actively. He guards our hearts and our minds. He shields us with faith and holds us in His right hand.
Scripture warns that there will be wolves that try to disguise themselves as sheep in God’s family, however, they are deceivers and against Jesus.
Matthew 7:15 says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
Our Good Shepherd knows that we are susceptible to being led astray and taken advantage of, so He reminds us constantly in His Word that He is the only one who we look to and it is His voice alone that we follow. If we have a question in life and we need wisdom, ultimately whoever we listen to needs to be pointing us back to Scripture and the voice of God. His voice is the most important one to hear.
In thinking of Jesus our Protector, I cannot help but get excited in thinking that this means He fights for us. God does not sit around and wait for us to fight for and serve Him, we serve the One True God who knew that our sin separated us from Himself, but nothing could separate us from His love, so He came down to save us. He fought for us and when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we are His forever.
Our Shepherd Guides Us
Psalm 23 is one of the most famous passages of Scripture including the concept of God as our Shepherd. In this Psalm, the Lord is welcoming us to find rest in Him.
Psalm 23:2-3 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
When we ponder Our Good Shepherd as a guide, this means that He leads us down the best paths for His glory. Notice the verse says, paths of righteousness. This does not say the easy path or the popular path, but it is that path of blessing and the journey of walking closely with our Savior. In life, the Lord will take us down many paths, our hope is to stay on the narrow path of faith and not stray from it, even when difficult. (Matthew 7:13-14) Our Good Shepherd guides us in decision making, personal growth, and relationships. He is our Counselor. The Holy Spirit is described as our Counselor. (John 14:26-28) He is equally God with the Father and Jesus. When we ever have a question or need direction, we can confidently pray and ask the Spirit to guide us in the way that we should go.
Our Shepherd Cares for Our Needs
Isaiah 40:11 says, “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
I love how this verse sums up the care that the Shepherd has for us, His sheep. He tends to us, gathers us in His arms, carries us, and gently leads us. This heart of a Shepherd truly reflects the heart of our Perfect Father. When we feel helpless physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we can feel safe to go to Him and know that He cares for us. He will meet all of our needs. (Philippians 4:19) The Good Shepherd does not neglect, push off, or ignore His sheep, He meets their every need. Nothing is too small for Him and nothing is too big. Whatever your need might be today, remember the peace, freedom, and joy in taking it to Him.
As we think about our Shepherd, may it give us a sense of rest in Him. We have the joy of being in the pasture of our Savior. We are safe, we are held, we are His.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Jaka Skrlep
