I love the story about the first grader who stood in front of his classroom to make a speech about “What I want to be when I grow up.” He said, “I’m going to be a lion tamer and have lots of fierce lions. I’ll just walk into the cage and they will roar.” He paused for a moment, thinking about what he had just said and then added, “But of course, I’ll have my mommy with me.”
What a difference it makes to have someone we trust by our side. The presence of our Shepherd is a source of great comfort to us. A sheep doesn’t feel safe because it says, “I am stronger than the lion;” or, “I am able to escape from the bear;” or, “I shall always be able to avoid the wolf.” A sheep feels safe because “Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). The presence of our shepherd is our source of comfort.
God says in Isaiah 41:13, “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.”
And sheep need to be comforted because they are very easily frightened. If one sheep gets startled and runs away, all of the others will follow behind it in fear, not waiting to see what it was frightened them. But nothing quiets a flock of sheep like seeing their shepherd in the field with them.
Like sheep, we also are easily frightened. We live in an uncertain world. We’re concerned about so many things that have happened and that could happen. But nothing quiets our souls like knowing that our Shepherd is near. As Jesus promised, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). That doesn’t mean we won’t have enemies or we won’t pass through dark valleys; this psalm makes that clear. The comforting promise in scripture is not that we will be protected from disappointment and pain. Rather, it is that our Lord is a shepherd who will never abandon us even in those dark moments.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
Alan Smith
