Baa Baa Black Sheep

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I have been reading the 23rd psalm over and over for the last couple of weeks. I find it so peaceful. Each time I read it I seem to discover something new.
The beginning says so much about his children.



" The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want." We his children are referred to as sheep. A quick look at sheep reveals an animal with no real defenses. No way to protect themselves. Sheep have to totally rely on the shepherd to protect them. The shepherd does not allow himself to be distracted even for a moment. He is always watching over us. The sheep get so involved in what they are eating that the lead sheep have to wear a bell so the distracted ones can hear the flock around them as they move from pasture to pasture.

"I Shall not want." The second part of this opening line has often caused me to question my desire for things. However, this is not what these four words are referring to. They are actually telling us I will need for nothing. The shepherd is going to supply my needs. I will lack nothing.
Now, I have been in a position that seemed to me like the shepherd had left me behind. I remember a time when I was 27 years old and found myself raising three children on my own. I recall being discouraged each morning, because I had no idea what the day would bring and how i was going to supply for my children. But each evening as the sun set, the day had proved the shepherds existence in the form of a gift of food or work. The shepherd has supplied each time and always with perfect timing. Many times I have questioned his ability or willingness to supply only to later discover that things worked out for the best.

So, how important is each individual sheep to the shepherd? Matthew 18:12-14 paints a beautiful picture of Gods love for us.

"If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep becomes lost, then the man will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill. He will go to look for the lost sheep. Right? And if the man finds the lost sheep, the man is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost. I tell you the truth. In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost."

If right now you feel like you may have wandered out of the shepherd's protective view. You can rest in the fact that He longs to return you to the fold and supply your every need. He will leave the 99 to find 1 lost sheep. I know because I am too often wandering down my own path, only to discover I need His help. When I cry out to Him He runs to my rescue.

Thank you Father for being The Good Shepherd.
Remember to always ride the narrow road and stop in and see us again.
LARRY