“[The 23rd Psalm] was written by a shepherd who became a king–because He wanted us to know about a King who became a shepherd.”
— Max Lucado, Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms
Sheep need a shepherd. Why? They are sort of wimpy. They are not lionlike. They cannot run fast, like antelopes or cheetahs. Because of this, sheep have a tendency to get really skittish and nervous. They are easily scared. So, sheep really need a shepherd. They need a protector.
The good shepherd is not only the shepherd over the whole flock. He is shepherd to each individual sheep. That is good because from time to time a sheep will somehow get lost and wander away from the flock and the shepherd. And even though the shepherd might have 100 sheep in the flock. He will go out and search for that one who is lost. The shepherd will travel long distances over rough domain to find one of his who is out in the wilderness. And when the shepherd finds his lost sheep he rejoices with a glad heart.
Sheep need a shepherd. So do we. We are kind of like sheep in many ways.
The defense mechanisms we use are oftentimes poor and can actually cause us damage. We are not fast enough to outrun our problems. Trying that is not helpful and just makes us tired. And, like sheep, we seem to be a skittish lot.
Sometimes we are easily scared. And, from time to time, we get lost. We look around and wonder, “How did I get here?” We need to get home, but we cannot find our way all by ourselves.
We need a shepherd, and we have one. Aren’t you glad?
Praise God! Our good shepherd is watching over us today.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
— Psalms 23:1