When Jerry
and I arrived at the football stadium where our grandson was playing one Friday
night, we discovered that in conjunction with homecoming events, the school
also offered activities for younger kids. This included bounce houses, games,
and a petting zoo. The petting zoo caused me (a younger kid at heart at least) to veer off the stadium path.
I knelt, talked with a sheep who was lying down, and told her how cute she was--just a Mimi and a half dozen toddlers huddled around
her. The sheep baaed contentedly in response. I think she understood me.
My thoughts turned to a book I’ve been rereading, the classic, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd
Psalm, by Phillip Keller. Keller grew up in East Africa watching native
herders and later made his living as a sheep rancher. He uses his shepherding experience
to draw insights into Psalm 23. I reached for the book while preparing a
children’s lesson, and it had been years since I read it, so it was almost like
encountering it for the first time.
There’s so
much to glean from these pages, but I’ve been pondering his comments about Psalm 23:2a, “He makes me lie down in green
pastures . . .” Keller writes, “The strange thing about sheep is that because
of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down
unless four requirements are met.” You can read the book to find out about
other requirements, but I’ll focus on one of them―sheep will not lie down if
they’re afraid.
Since sheep
have few ways to defend themselves, if there is even a small sense of danger,
they will not lie down. Keller shares that two dogs have been known to kill 300
sheep in one night. He pens, “In the course of time I came to realize that
nothing so quieted and reassured the sheep as to see me in the field. The presence
of their master and owner and protector put them at ease as nothing else could
do, and this applied day and night . . . In the Christian’s life there is no substitute
for the keen awareness that my Shepherd is nearby.”
A quote from
A.W. Tozer echoes this thought. “The only safe place for a sheep is by the side
of his shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep; he just fears the
Shepherd.”
If fear has
entered your life for whatever reason―finances, health, family circumstances, or bad news,
remember what Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life to the sheep” (John 10:11). By His side, we need not fear. He has made the supreme sacrifice for us. He is our
protector, our provider, and the One who truly makes us lie down without
fear.
Through the
years, I have often gone to sleep with these words on my lips, “I will lie down
and sleep in peace for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
Until recently, I have not connected this verse to Psalm 23. But now, I get it. Jesus as the good shepherd makes this possible.
The football
game announcer’s voice sounded over the speakers, and I knew game time
approached. I said goodbye to my sheep friend and walked on toward the stadium,
grateful for the sheep encounter and even more grateful for my Shepherd.
I'm so excited to share the cover of my new book releasing in January,
A Plan for Everything!
It is the sequel to, A Key to Everything available HERE.
