I had a client once whose husband was a shepherd. He worked for a farmer but also had his own flock. They lived about 2 miles from the nearest village and as farmers, life was sometimes quite isolated. My client was depressed and found life quite difficult at times particularly as her husband spent many hours out in the fields looking after the sheep. She had three children and one by one they had grown up and attended school and now for most of the day she was alone. One day I found her opening the door in somewhat of a rush, she invited me in, but apologised for the fact that she was distracted and asked if I minded animals. My answer was of course not at all, thinking she had maybe bought a cat or dog for company.
She led me into the kitchen where in a corner was a little new born lamb. I cannot remember now why she had become its surrogate mother, but she was feeding it regularly. What really amused me was that by the next time I visited wherever she went the lamb went. I also noticed that caring for the lamb was having a positive effect upon her depression. She was enjoying walking out in the fields, a little white shadow following her! This lady attended church quite regularly and read the Bible often, one day she told me that having the little lamb had made her think of Psalm 23 and realise how God had been her shepherd all along, it was just that she had gone from his side
That trust of a little lamb following close to it’s ‘mother’ is an example to us as to what our relationship with the Lord our God should be like. He has provided one to shepherd His flock. Jesus is the ‘good shepherd’, the one who knows his sheep and guides them into ‘green pastures’. The sheep know the shepherd and will not heed the voice of a stranger. Now scripture says that we all like sheep have gone astray and so we do for it is not in the way of man to guide his own footsteps. Our role is to heed the shepherds voice and if we do, we shall indeed be led into ‘green pastures’ and besides ‘still waters’. We will be led in the paths of righteousness and shall find that we are restored indeed. If we truly strive to obey the shepherd’s commandments then like David we will most assuredly say “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”.
Jesus of course as well as being the good shepherd is himself the ‘lamb of God’. The concept of Jesus as our shepherd and we as the a sheep is but a reflection of that greater relationship between Father and son. The Lamb of God always heard and obeyed his Fathers voice. God as the ‘shepherd’ of Jesus truly led him besides the still waters. Indeed that Psalm 23 surely is an expression of the thoughts and trust of Jesus, just as it was for David.
The example of the implicit trust Jesus had in his father is an example that we as his ‘sheep’ must follow. Can we say in the depth of our hearts we follow and truly believe the expression:
“The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want”
Andy P.