dependency

Sheep in Need of a Shepherd

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:1-6 ESV

What do you say about what is arguably the most well-known and popular Psalm of all? The 23rd Psalm is probably the most familiar of all the Psalms for believers and non-believers alike. The words of this Psalm have been printed on plaques and coffee mugs, illustrated in paintings, and explained in countless books. It is short and simple, yet the real message escapes most of us because we don’t live in an agrarian society. The imagery of sheep and shepherds escapes us. So its message, while visually interesting, can become obscure because the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep seems rather pedestrian and simplistic to us. How hard can it be to care for sheep? They appear relatively docile and far from demanding, but it’s fascinating that God regularly used the sheep metaphor when speaking of His people.

In Matthew 10:6, Jesus referred to the Jews as the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Reminiscent of Psalm 23, in the Book of Ezekiel, God refers to the people of Israel as His sheep.

“I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!” – Ezekiel 34:15-16 NLT

Earlier in that same chapter, God refers to His people as sheep again, saying, “They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them” (Ezekiel 34:6 NLT).

God saw His people as sheep, and Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. Why? What is the point behind this analogy of sheep and shepherds? The key is found in the words used in Psalm 23. David chose his words carefully, and each carries significance. He speaks of need, rest, leading, renewal, guidance, fear, protection, and comfort. He paints a picture of total dependency as opposed to self-sufficiency. Sheep are not meant to defend and care for themselves. They are inherently dumb animals who wander easily and are prone to a herd mentality. Unlike deer, they do not readily sense impending danger. They lack any means of self-defense. They have no horns or sharp teeth and are not known for their speed. In essence, they are defenseless against attack. Not only that, but they are also gullible and easily led astray. When grazing, sheep can become so consumed with their meal that they ignore the dangers surrounding them. So, God’s choice of this imagery is intentional and not intended to be flattering.

Isaiah provides a perfect picture of how God views us.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own. – Isaiah 53:6 NLT

At one time, we were like wandering, ignorant, and stubborn sheep. We had lost our way. We had wandered off the path and gotten lost. We were defenseless, helpless, and hopeless. The prophet Isaiah went on to prophesy that God had a solution for those lost sheep:

Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away. – Isaiah 53:6b-8a NLT

God’s solution for lost, wandering sheep was the Good Shepherd. Peter reminds us, “Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25 NLT).

God is our Shepherd. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We are their sheep. We are needy, prone to wander, inherently restless, lacking in strength, defenseless, directionless, and hopeless if left to our own devices. But God leads us, loves us, guides us, protects us, comforts us, feeds us, and heals us. He sent His Son to die for us because we couldn’t save ourselves. His Son became a sheep just like us so that He could be the sacrificial lamb that satisfied the just demands of a holy, righteous God. He died so that we might live.

The key to understanding the 23rd Psalm is to embrace our role as sheep and our total dependency on God for everything. David understood that concept long before the Good Shepherd appeared on the scene. He knew that mankind exists and has a future because of God’s goodness and unfailing love. Without Him, we are nothing.

That is why David was willing to submit himself to the Shepherd. Even the Shepherd’s loving discipline was preferable to a life without Him. David gladly embraced the loving correction of God’s rod and staff because He knew it was in his best interest. The Shepherd knows what is best for His sheep.

In the last two verses of his Psalm, David shifts away from the sheep and shepherd motif, describing God as a gracious host who welcomes HIs guests to a fantastic banquet in His palace.

You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:5-6 NLT

David envisioned himself moving from the life of a lowly sheep in the pasture to the honored guest at an elaborate banquet. This shift in emphasis and location mirrored David’s own life. He could recall the words of God relayed by the prophet Samuel near the end of his long and productive life.

“I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!” – 2 Samuel 7:8-9 NLT

David had experienced the life of a shepherd and was intimately familiar with sheep. But he also knew what it was like to wear the royal robes of the king and experience all the trappings of success. But understood that all his accomplishments had been the work of God. He was not a self-made man. He could take no credit for his success. David knew his greatest claim to fame was his relationship with God. Even as the most powerful man in the kingdom of Israel, he knew he was completely dependent upon his loving Shepherd.

Most of us find dependence difficult, and learning to rely on God is not easy. We have convinced ourselves that self-sufficiency is a virtue. But sheep rely on their shepherd. They trust their shepherd, listen to their shepherd, follow their shepherd, and depend on their shepherd for everything. And as a result, they are blessed.

Father, give me a sheep-like attitude. Let me continually die to my stubborn need for self-sufficiency and learn to live in total dependence upon You. You are my Shepherd. Your Son is my Good Shepherd. All my needs are met in You. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Out of the Depths.

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.” – Jonah 2:1-3 ESV

Jonah 2:1-9

If nothing else, this prayer of Jonah proves that you can pray from just about anywhere at any time. You don’t have to have a “prayer closet” or a special place in which you pray. Prayer is available to us 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year. We can call out to God whenever and wherever we want and the best part is, He hears us. Jonah prayed from the belly of a fish. Not exactly a worshipful environment, but it was those less-than-perfect conditions that led Jonah to pray. His circumstances provided an ideal opportunity to talk to God. Finding himself in the digestive track of a large sea creature didn’t dampen Jonah’s prayer life, it enhanced it. And if you doubt that Jonah’s story holds any credibility, you have Jesus to contend with, because He seems to have considered Jonah’s three days in the fish’s stomach as true. He used it when referring to His upcoming death. “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40 ESV).

It was in the midst of his distress that Jonah called out to God. Prior to that point in time, Jonah had been busy running from God. He had decided to disobey God’s will and follow his own. And he was going to learn that you can’t outrun God. You can’t hide from God. Not only that, you can’t find yourself in a predicament that puts you out of touch with God. David seemed to have learned that same lesson. “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:7-10 ESV). God is always nearby. He sees. He hears. He answers. It’s interesting to note that Jonah says, “I called out.” This prayer was prayed while he was still in the belly of the fish. It was while he was right in the middle of his worst-case scenario. And yet, Jonah says, “he answered me” and “you heard my voice”. This isn’t a post-salvation prayer, but a smack-dab-right-in-the-middle-of-it prayer. But Jonah knew that God heard him and was going to answer him. He was confident that God was there and that He cared.

What a wonderful reminder for those of us who might find ourselves swallowed up by our circumstances, with the floods surrounding us, the waves and billows passing over us. We can call out to God and not only will He hear us, He will answer us. Jonah had to wait three days for his deliverance, but it came. He probably showed the wear and tear of his ordeal. He would never forget the experience. And he would never fail to remember God graciously rescuing him from the consequences of his own stubborn rebellion. Trials and troubles tend to make prayer warriors out of all of us. When we find ourselves in serious trouble, we suddenly get serious about prayer. It’s amazing how the person who claims, “I don’t know how to pray” can discover the secret to prayer when the need arises. And that seems to be the key – need. Jonah needed God. He was at a loss to do anything about his condition. He was helpless and hopeless and in desperate need of rescue, so he turned to God. Prayer is always powered by dependency, not pride. Prideful people don’t need God. The powerless are those that pray most powerfully. Desperation has a way of eliminating all pretense and pride. When we come to a place where we truly need God we seem to have no problem talking to Him. And that should be a lesson for us. Need is a primary factor for praying effectively. An awareness of our dependency on God will greatly improve our communication with God.

This reminds of the great old hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour. One of the less-known verses says, “I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.” Need is a missing ingredient in many of our prayer lives. And there is a huge difference between needs and wants. We tend to bring God all our wants and desires, but fail to recognize our need. We need HIM, not what He can give us. We need His deliverance, His presence, His power, His peace, His guidance, His joy, His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy, His love. We need Him every hour of every day. The chorus of that old hymn should be the daily prayer of every believer. “I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.”