The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd… Psalm 23:1

 

Jeso muridza mudzo! Nahenza nakamone ko muno!

Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno!

Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno.

 

Jesus is a good Shepherd! I long to see Him up ahead leading me!

I long to see Him up ahead leading me!

I long to see Him up ahead leading me.

 

To the throb of a one-two, one-two-three drum beat we used to sing these words and dance under the palm shelter that served as our church in East Africa. The purity, the sheer joy of the thought of being shepherded by the Lord, filled every face with light.

This group of humble shepherds knew the exhaustion of shepherding sheep, wandering far over the brushy savannah looking for grass and water to keep them alive. They understood the danger of the dark night, the way the black mamba camouflaged himself in the inky blackness, and the spitting cobra stood at eye-level, sending a stream of venom directly into his victim’s eyes. And then there were the lions, stalking, stealthy, patient, ravenous.

A shepherd’s life is dangerous.

But to think that a shepherd could become a sheep! And be led, cared for, protected, by the Lord Shepherd Himself! As the music danced across the hills, I wondered if my African friends comprehended the famous 23 Psalm much more than I ever had.

To be a shepherd, shepherded by the Great Shepherd, was a joyful thought indeed. So many of us are responsible to shepherd others. My friend from Cameroon who cares for her elderly mother. The single parent tucking a child in bed after a long day at work. The pastor juggling his young family and a growing congregation. The missionary deep in the desert, telling stories of hope from the Bible to a band of nomads.

Shepherds need a shepherd, too.

David, a shepherd himself, declared with confidence, The Lord is my Shepherd! Are you in charge of caring for others today? Let the Lord shepherd you. #caregivers #parenting #ministry #teachers Click To Tweet

In the classic book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller, the author observes,

Jesus made it clear when he stated emphatically, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Basically what it amounts to is this: A person exchanges the fickle fortunes of living life by sheer whimsy for the more productive and satisfying adventure of being guided by God. It’s a tragic truth that many people who really have never come under His direction or management claim that “The Lord is my shepherd.”

…One cannot have it both ways. Either we belong or we don’t (Page 10).

The ones who are under His direction and management are easy to spot. They are calm, at peace, seldom ruffled by life’s disasters. When a voice other than the Shepherd issues a command, they don’t react; they look up at the Shepherd instead and wait for His gentle voice to tell them what to do. They are still enough to hear His voice among the noise of the storm.

When I said yes to the Shepherd to leave my home and country to serve in a culture different from my own, I embarked on what Keller called the more productive and satisfying adventure of being guided by God. A zealous, impulsive sheep before, now I could hear the gate latch firmly behind us and feel the firm and gentle pressure of the knife as the Shepherd put His mark on me. No more running my own way. I belonged to His path and purpose now.

That was over twenty years ago. I’m one of the older sheep in my herd today. But I’m afraid age has not yet made me the wisest.

I still tremble in the darkness. I imagine that the roars of the lion in the night mean imminent death instead of understanding that my Shepherd is also a Lion. And at His great roar, the enemy prowling outside our herd flees in terror.

I have learned that my Shepherd takes His time. As He leads in a right way, He looks for waters of rest. Sometimes I am so thirsty I want to leap into the rushing waters by the way and sink my face into their refreshment. The tug of his staff pulls me back and I complain like a child.

But if I will be patient, the place of rest He allows is always more than I could have thought or imagined. The water is pure. The grass is tender and my hunger is satisfied.

The Lord is my Shepherd. I belong to Him; I have His mark on me. He has a right to me. I am growing in freedom and fulfillment in this arrangement. His promises to me, whispered at night as He sings me to sleep, are for all the days of my life.

Lord, examine my heart. I want to belong, but I’m still a little afraid of giving all control to You. Guide me to Your gate and put Your mark on me so I can joyfully proclaim, the Lord is my shepherd! Amen.

@audreycfrank