I was listening on my headphones to a sermon by Ken Davis titled “Super Sheep”. Ken Davis is an excellent speaker who uses humor and wit to bring to heart the word and love of God.  In one of his scenarios he is saying he doesn’t want to be a sheep. A sleep can’t even run right!! How about a lion, now that is a creature to be. He looked up scripture trying to find better creature to relate to than a sheep and found “lion”. Now there is a powerful animal. So, he read I Peter 5:8 which  “the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”.  Hmmmm, a lion is not a good thing.

While listening to him speak about sheep and being devoured and how Christ is the shepherd that watches over us my mind wandered to a cartoon I used to enjoy. Ralph and Sam, a sheepdog and a wolf greet each other as they clock in to work. The next scenes show them at work. Ralph tiptoes in to the herd of sheep and tries to steal one for dinner. Sam is no where in sight, until suddenly he appears before Ralph, knocks him out, and returns the furry little lamb to the field. Throughout the next scenes Ralph tries to harm the sheep but Sam, ever so quietly, ever so faithfully, sits and watches over the flock. You don’t even notice him. But when Ralph tries to devour one of the flock, Sam is right there to protect them.

Jesus is our shepherd. He quietly leads us to the fields to graze upon the lush green grass. We often forget he is there. He is quiet, he is watching. And He is there to protect us when the wolf comes along. Sometimes we don’t even notice He protected us, perhaps we were held back at work one night for some reason and find later that an accident occurred which you were not in because of that simple little act. 

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. “  I used to think that was so silly, why is the Lord a shepherd that I don’t want. No, there is nothing that I need and do not have because the Lord, my shepherd “makes me to lie down in green pastures”. He provides rest and comfort and all my needs.  Of course, there are those times I feel I can do a better job than He does and I leave the herd to find those things for myself. I always go back, or He comes looking for me I can provide nothing for myself. All I have I have because the Lord gave them to me.

I am a fluffy little lamb enjoying the green pastures provided by my Lord and Savior. I can leave the herd, but I don’t want to.  “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for He is with me, His rod and staff protect me”. 

Where are you? Are you walking along beside the great shepherd? Do you want to?