Even though I lived, briefly, on a sheep farm, I don’t know much about sheep and shepherds, except that sheep aren’t very smart. Sheep munch on grass and don’t pay much attention to anything else, except when the shepherd’s dog races out to round them up.
If it wasn’t for the shepherd, the sheep would have no water (on our farm it needed to be pumped into the troughs), they wouldn’t get out to pasture, they wouldn’t get back to the safety of the barn at night, they would never get any medical attention.
The shepherd had to figure out that they needed all this. But the shepherd doesn’t get angry or impatient with the sheep for being so dull and dependent. He (or she) just anticipates and takes care of the sheep’s every need.
I’m glad God knows what I need, even when I do not. I’m glad the Holy Spirit prays for me, even when I don’t know what to pray for myself.
We may have needs and dangers that we don’t even see, but God is there, our Shepherd, ready with the answer.
From the Bible:
The Lord is my shepherd… Psalm 23:1
Remember, you are designed to make a difference!
Dwight
Photo credit: Adapted from a photo by Kaye Ratia, Flickr, Creative Commons License
