2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Yesterday, Jehovah Raah, the Lord my Shepherd, led me to speak of us as “His sheep.” The question occurs: why does He think of us this way? We have already given a partial answer in yesterday’s description of sheep as helpless animals in need of the many things that a shepherd does for them. This metaphor is easy to understand physically, but more difficult to understand spiritually, because it demands on our parts real honesty and acknowledgment of vulnerability. Peter was taught this difficult lesson in JN 21: 17. “A third time Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ and so he said to Him, ‘Lord, you know everything; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Take care of My sheep.’” The real issue here is our need to recognize our total poverty of spirit without the Shepherd to guide us to righteousness and protect us from the onslaught of the adversary’s attempts to led us to spiritual death.
PS 100: 1-5 is a hymn of praise, one that reveals this essential relationship between the Shepherd and His sheep. “Sing to the Lord, all the world! Worship the Lord with joy; come before Him with happy songs! Never forget that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to Him; we are His people, we are His flock. Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise Him. The Lord is good; His love is eternal and His faithfulness lasts forever.” These beautiful words can make one’s heart sing when faith is in place. PS 23: 1-6 allows us to see more of what Jehovah Raah as our Shepherd does for us spiritually. The words of the KJV are too gorgeous to pass up. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of Thine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” When one realizes that oil is frequently used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit, (7) has even greater meaning to us spiritually. Jehovah Raah is telling us here that when we choose to make Him the Lord of our lives, we have nothing to fear from the adversary. He is also telling us that He chooses to claim ownership of us.
When we are laid open and vulnerable, we are frightened about being hurt. The question of trust is put on the table. When I was young, I once asked a wise friend, how do you learn to trust? That friend’s answer was, “you learn to trust through experience.” That is how we learn to trust Jehovah Raah to be our Shepherd. Part of that experience is taking the time to read the Scriptures, so we can see how He interacts with the people in them. Another part of it is in our own personal experience with Him. When we learn to trust another person, it is something that happens over time. We confide something in him, and he chooses not to gossip. Someone promises to be at a certain place for us, and he is there when the time comes. It is the same way with God. Our vulnerability and the non-tangible nature of faith make this difficult for us. But, when we choose to place this trust in Jehovah Raah, He is there to carry out every function that a Shepherd carries out for His flock. The Psalmist understood this and expressed his feelings in PS 138: 2, “I face Your holy Temple, bow down, and praise Your name because of Your constant love and faithfulness, because You have shown that Your name and Your commands are supreme.” The Baptist pastor, Henry Blackaby, who wrote the brilliant course, “Experiencing God,” said, “You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.”
Jehovah Raah understands our needs and our nature, just as a shepherd knows the limitations and needs of his flock. When James, who I like to call the parent-apostle, spoke about the tongue, he points out an essential difference between the sheep and the Shepherd. JAS 3: 2, “All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being.” Do you know anyone who has done this? The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is the only One I know Who has. This actually goes to the very nature of Who Jesus Christ is in our lives. JN 1: 1-4, “Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God and He was the same as God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through Him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without Him. The Word was the source of light to mankind.” The Word became flesh for us, and He died on the cross for us as well. We can make the connection between truth, Christ, and eternal life from this. This is one way that Jehovah Raah provides for the needs of His sheep. The word of God stands, because God stands by His word.
PRAYER: O Lord, we came to You as enemies in the marketplace of slavery to sin. Without You we were totally incapable of righteousness. In spite of that, You reveal Your profound compassion, love, and patience. When we fought against what You commanded us to do, You brought the Good Shepherd to teach, provide for, protect, encourage, and love us. Over time, we began to see that without You, we are nothing, have nothing, and cannot accomplish good. You give us a different perspective on the world in which we live. By the work of the cross, You provided us with salvation and the choice not to sin. Your Spirit is a gift to us, one that remains with us to grant us understanding of Your words, help in making righteous decisions, and encourages us when we feel beaten down by the spiritual warfare we must face. Without You, we are empty, wounded, and lost. Because of Your presence in our lives, You fill our spiritual vessels and guide us to a life “in Christ.” No other shepherd can or would do that for us. We humbly acknowledge You are our Jehovah Raah and offer You our worship, adoration, trust, obedience, loyalty, honor, glory, praise and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at four specific needs that we have as His sheep and how Jehovah Raah fulfills them. Bask in the warm glow and feel tenderly protective hands of the Lord Who loves each of us. He is our Shepherd Who remains there for us for all eternity. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn